Playing with Fire
by Asilanna Dark-witch
Summary: Wanda has lost everything, even the will to continue living. She uses her chaos magic to end it all, but ends up warping into a different reality, with a different world. Zuko saves her, but can she help him in return when news of his mother surfaces through an unlikely source? Warning: Lemon involved! Rated for sexual content and some language.
1. Chapter 1

"For the last time, I said leave me _alone!_" Wanda screamed as her hands began to glow an ominous blue.

"But, sweetums-" Toad didn't have time to finish as he was hexed out of her window. She couldn't handle one more moment of him, or anyone else for that matter. Ever since she had regained her true memory of her father, she had taken up a vengeance against everyone around her. How could they have known the truth, and not told her?! How dare they smile and act like everything was fine, while she was living the lie. It didn't take much for her memory to be jogged, and once the barrier was shattered she was worse than ever.

At first she went after Magneto, swearing revenge and refusing to stop until she had his blood on her hands. She hunted him like the animal he was to her, feeding on his fear. She trained hard with her former mentor, Agatha, to gain more and more control over wielding her witchcraft. Finally she and Magneto had faced off and she had her moment. Against all odds, her chaos magic bested his own manipulation of metal: He had been at her mercy. She had every intention of slaughtering him on the spot, but something had intervened. Professor Xavier entered her mind and forced her to spare him long enough for Magneto to slip away, and Professor X warned her to never attempt such a feat again.

Wanda's lust for revenge hadn't been satiated, but at this point she believed it would never be satisfied. Her passion, her hatred, had grown too strong to ever pitter out and allow her to live a normal life. She would forever be haunted by her past, and the burning fire that consumed her. Knowing that she could never be allowed her vengeance against Magneto only made it worse. Eventually she came back to the Brotherhood, simply because she had nowhere else to go. That, in itself, was pitiful enough to send her to the depths of depression. Toad still made half-assed attempts at her, but now they were more out of habit than anything else. Every being with two brain cells to rub together stayed as far away from her as possible. She had proved what she was capable of, and they feared her. Day by day she realized that there was nothing left for her here, not anywhere. Exasperated with herself, she threw her body across her bed and shut her eyes, trying to shut out the world as well. Her hands pressed against either side of her skull and she cringed her eyes tighter, trying to push reality away from her and have some peace, even for a moment.

Unbeknownst to her, the chaos magic she was gifted with was leaking out with this lapse in control. At first it flowed out, as if a murky blue blood-pool, seeping into everything it touched. Eventually it wore through the floorboards and dripped down from the ceiling to the floor below it where the other Brotherhood boys were lounging.

"Uh-oh," said Lance as he warily watched the hex-magic crawling slowly down the walls.

"What-the-fuck?" spewed Pietro as took several steps away from one wall only to see it now oozed down all around them. Upstairs, Wanda had no notion of what she was causing, only that these thoughts, these gnawing and snarling thoughts of self-hatred as well as the knowledge that she would always be an outcast here, began ripping through her mind. She would never be awarded anything but this pitiful living, never be granted a chance for anything more. Mutants and humans alike feared and hated her. Why shouldn't they? As long as Magneto was out there, and she allowed him to live, she would never be able to cope with reality. She would always be this ghost of a person, fueled only by the ravaging desire to be the one to pull Magneto's life from his throat with her own hands. At first she didn't hear Pietro calling to her, or feel Lance trying to shake her out of the trance she had fallen into. It was only after Toad tackled her off of her bed and onto the ground that she was able to open her eyes. He grabbed her wrists and pinned them to the floor that they were now slowly seeping into, like quicksand.

"Wanda!" he yelled down to her, trying to make her magic stop its attack on everything around her. She still seemed dazed, so one of his hands let go of her wrists to allow him to slap her across the face. "Wanda!" he yelled again. For a moment everything froze. An icy blue mist built up around them and it felt as if the air itself would shatter. Slowly Wanda thawed, recognizing that she had been slapped. All the rage burning under the surface suddenly erupted, imploding the world around them back in on itself. What used to be frozen or icy now boiled then exploded inward towards them, sending what felt like the whole world into chaos. Wanda's eyes burned a scarlet red, which misted out from the outer corners of her gaze, making her seem as if she were demonically possessed.

"How dare you touch me!" she yelled at Toad, but her voice seemed deeper. Her power filled the matter around her, weighing down the air and choking the light from the day. It felt like gravity had increased, and she was the center of the black hole. The Brotherhood was terrified to the point of muteness, helpless as they watched everything around them burst, then fall towards Wanda. She was no longer standing, but instead hovering between two swirling clouds of mixed blue and red hex magic, rotating in opposite directions.

She didn't want to be here anymore. She didn't want to be _her_ anymore. No more lies or deceit. No more betrayals or backstabbing. No more hatred, no more pain or fear. No more blood-lust. No more life. She wanted it all to end, and with chaos welling up around her she knew it was possible. She raised both of her hands up, then out, focusing all of her energy on this one thought.

"_**No more mutants!" **_

Ripples of power ruptured out from her core to swallow everything they touched. Wanda was allowed one instant to recognize this before everything went black.

Zuko was watching the sunset off of his balcony overlooking the ocean of Ember Island, lost in his own thoughts of what would happen to his father now that he had lost his bending. The Avatar had granted him the sanction of life, but at what cost? He knew he shouldn't care, but he still worried if Ozai would attempt some sort of retribution. As his eyes watched the sun cast red and orange lights across the water, some sort of explosion took place above the ocean not too far from the edge of the beach. Red and blue wisps formed a hurricane of sorts, then pulled together to form a tight cocoon before blasting outward in every direction. Zuko pulled an arm up to shield his face from the heat wave released by it was it swept through the island and out towards the horizon as far as he could see.

"What the fuck was that?" he asked himself in awe. Squinting through the brightness and high temperature of the discharge, he was able to just barely make out a shape hovering a good distance above the churning waters. The form stayed there for a mere breath, then plummeted into the depths of the water. Zuko couldn't see much, but he knew that it had definitely been a person. Without thinking twice about it he summoned his fire bending to form sharp and intense fires beneath both of his feet which launched him up off the balcony and out towards the water. He knew that he was at the right spot when the currents below him where swirling in a whirlpool with a strange scarlet color at the heart of it. He took in one last inhale of air, then plunged straight into the sea. His eyes couldn't tell him much about anything that was around him. His body was being pulled in the direction of the current, but he fought it wildly in order to reach the center and continue downwards. His lungs were burning with the need to oxygen, almost forcing him to forfeit his blind search and surface for air when his fingertips brushed something. Without question he grabbed the form of what felt like a wrist, then propelled the two of them upwards as fast as he could. They shot out of the water, Zuko throwing his head back and gasping for life while still grasping the limp body he had pulled from the depths. He looked down at her to notice that she was out cold, and wasn't breathing. Once again he summoned his fire bending to propel them upwards and towards the sands of the beach as fast as he could. He crashed them both into the ground, not bothering to slow down enough to stop, then went straight to work trying to resuscitate it…no…_her._ It was definitely a female, but that was all he took time to pay attention to before launching into the practice everyone who went near the ocean's waters was taught.

He placed his hands over the middle of her chest and pushed, hard, once for every second. One. Two. Three. Four. Five… she still wasn't breathing… Nine. Ten. Eleven. Twelve… His right hand went up to cover her nose while his left hand propped open her mouth. One giant inhale, then he pushed his mouth to hers, attempting to breathe the life back into her. "Come on!" he called to her as we went back to pressing on her chest. He didn't know why, he just knew that he had to save this girl.

He also knew that he was failing.


	2. Chapter 2

Wanda's eyes flew open as water came spewing up from her stomach and lungs. She rolled to one side, coughing and choking out what felt like an entire ocean. A strong hand held her in place and thumped her on the back in order to help her rid the water from her body. Finally she was done ejecting liquid and gasped in sweet, breathable air to her starving lungs. She stayed hunched over on her side, forehead pressed against the sand and eyes closed as she continued to taking in large gulps of air. The soothing hand on her back patted her once reassuringly, then she heard someone collapse to the ground at her side and let out a breath of relief. Slowly she opened her water-logged eyes to peer over at the person next to her. Drops of ocean water continued to stream down from her soaked hair and into her face but she was able to determine red clothes and black hair before she closed her eyes again to focus on breathing. They stayed like that for a few moments more, before Wanda was able to find her words.

"Wh-who are _you_?" she choked out before coughing a few more times. A deep chuckle came from the man beside her.

"You're welcome, I guess," he told her before sitting up and looking down at her. He couldn't see her face, but her clothes were interesting: A tight red top and black pants made of something strange to him, as well as black bulky arm bands and wrist bands on both arms and glistening jewelry. The symbols were foreign as well. Was she some sort of royalty he didn't know about? What was she doing at Ember Island, and what the hell had that explosion been about? Before he could ask her any questions, she had lifted her eyes to glare at him. Even though he supposed her to be frightening he got caught up in the sapphire hues that were defiantly staring him down.

"So, who's team are you on?" she asked. He looked at her, obviously confused.

"Excuse me?"

She rolled her eyes then moved to lay on her back. She wanted nothing more than to close her eyes and let her muscles relax for a moment, but she was wary of her 'savior'. He could be someone Magneto had dredged up, or anyone else for that matter. How did she even end up in the ocean anyways?

"You know, _team_. Are you with the Professor and one of his beloved X-Men? Magneto and his Acolytes? Mystique and the Brotherhood? Obviously not a Morlock…." No his body was perfectly fine as far as she could tell. She almost blushed when he caught her searching over his bare torso, but continued speaking. "Or are you even a mutant?" His golden eyes met hers, and she could tell he was genuinely perplexed.

"Mutant? Why would I have mutated?" Absently one of his hands moved to touch the side of his face that he had been keeping hidden from her. Wanda moved to get her arms beneath her then attempted to sit up, but groaned when she attempted this. He looked at her sharply, then pushed her back down. Her body was too weak to resist the little force he had to use. She opened her mouth to yell at him for impeding her, then stopped. His long hair was still wet and hung damply over him, clinging to his face, but it wasn't long enough to hide the scar he had over his left eye. He caught her staring, then turned away. It looked like a burn to Wanda, a bad one, yet it could still be the mark of a Morlock. But then again, what would they be doing out in the open, next to the beach? She began to look around and instantly noticed that there were no people on this beach. That couldn't be right.

"Where am I?" she asked. Zuko turned back to look out at the ocean while watching her out of the corner of his right eye, keeping the scar hidden from her.

"I'll answer your questions if you answer mine," he proposed. Wanda scowled at him, then sighed.

"Fine, but I'm not about to answer some of the things you might ask," she warned him. He thought that seemed fair enough, and agreed.

"Just the simple stuff. Like right now you're on Ember Island." He could tell by her furrowed brow that puzzled her.

"Where the fuck is that?" she asked him, and he shook his head.

"My turn," he reminded her. _Who wasn't heard of Ember Island?_ he thought to himself, but shook it off. "What's your name?" Now it was her turn to look surprised.

"…Wanda...," she told him hesitantly, as if expecting him to react to it. Who in the world of mutants, or even the 'normies,' hadn't heard of her father and in turn her? Their last battle had made it into the news on several continents.

"You say that like I should know you," he commented. "Should I?" Wanda shrugged.

"I guess not. My turn: Same question." Zuko turned to face her, this time with his full face. The same feeling she had just experienced was all over his face. She tilted her head at him, taking in his face in its entirety, even the scar. Still her eyes were blank as if she had no idea that he was the Fire Lord. He could tell that she had no clue who he was. "What, am I supposed to know you?" she asked. The words would have seemed harsh, but her tone was seeking and quiet. He was silent for a few minutes more, then gave a soft smirk.

"I guess not. My name is Zuko." And he left it at that, not caring to say any more at the moment. "Next question: What was that huge explosion about?"

"Explosion?" she asked, then blinked as if she remembered something. Yes, there had been an explosion…

"I… I don't…" she closed her eyes and went through the breathing lessons Agatha taught her in order to ease her mind. What was the last thing she did? This morning she hexed Blob through the kitchen wall for being in her way… then Pietro was talking about some big battle with the X-men he was planning….then… "Toad," she mused, speaking out loud to make it easier to remember.

"Toad?" Zuko asked, not understanding. She shook her head it him, telling him to be quiet while she thought.

"I threw Toad out of the window when he pissed me off," she explained briefly. Then…then the thoughts. The feelings of doom that she would never move on, that she would be stuck in the pit of despair, because she could never gain closure as long as her father was alive. He had stolen everything from her, even her hope. Because of him she would never become anything but a creature of hatred, she could never move past what he had done to her, she could never…

"Wanda!" Zuko called, and her eyes opened. He was staring at her with wide eyes, but for once she didn't see fear, just curiosity. Her hands had started glowing with blue hex magic again, which is what caught his alarm. Wanda took a deep breath, then let go of her anger in order to allow the chaos magic to fade from her fists. "What the hell was that?" he asked her.

"I'm still working on your last question, smartass," she snipped at him. Most people feared her magic, or hated her for being a mutant, but at least they knew what it was. She pushed that from her mind. Quickly she glossed over the anger she felt and tried to get back to figuring out what had happened. "I was in my room…then I lost control…and… and Toad _slapped me_!" she recalled and the familiar heat of rage filled her chest once again. "Oh, I'll get him for that!" she seethed. Zuko was barely following her. She had powers, apparently lost control of them for some reason, then got slapped by someone named Toad? It didn't make any sense to him, but he urged her to go on with a look. She gave a noise of discontent, but left the thought of being hit alone long enough to move on. "Then…I don't really…I mean it's fuzzy. I remember I wanted it all to stop. I wanted to be out of it all. I wanted freedom, from everyone and everything." She rolled into a sitting position with a grimace before Zuko could stop her. "I'm fine," she hissed at him.

"So you don't know how you got here?" he asked, and she shrugged.

"I guess my powers are expanding," she mused more to herself than explaining to him. "Agatha told me that I could truly do anything I put my mind to….I just wish I knew what it is that I've done." Suddenly she turned sharply and her eyes were intent on him. "Do you know who Magneto is?" she asked, and he shook his head. Her eyes widened in surprise. "The X-Men? Professor Xavier? Wolverine?" He wanted to point out that this was more than one question, but it seemed very important to her. Again and again he shook his head, each time earning more and more shock from her. She looked around once more, taking in everything with new eyes. "We're still on Earth, right? I mean, I couldn't have teleported to another world?" Zuko gave a bit of a laugh, then realized she was serious.

"Uh, no. I mean, yeah this is still Earth." He could tell she was feeling something seriously like panic, so he put a hand out to her. Her first reaction was to flinch away and bring the blue hex fire blazing back to her fists. "Whoa, easy," he told her with his hands up and palm-out. "I'm not going to hurt you Wanda." She glared at him for a few seconds longer, then shrugged it off.

"Who's turn is it, anyways?" she asked darkly.

"Mine," Zuko said. "What sort of bender are you?" he asked.

"Huh?" asked Wanda and gave him a look that let him know she thought he was being stupid.

"Bender?" he asked, as if trying to jog her memory. "You know, earth fire water….or air?" He seemed really interested in the last element for some reason, but Wanda continued to give him the I-think-you're-an-idiot look. He sighed, figuring her memory was damaged. "Here, look. I'm a _fire bender_, like this." He threw a punch out towards the ocean with his right fist balled up, and shot a pillar of fire several feet in front of them. Instantly Wanda had pulled a sparkling blue sphere of hex magic around herself as a shield and fixed him with eyes full of burning hatred.

"Pyro!" she spat, like the word was a poison. Once more Zuko put his hands up, but she didn't let him speak. "I don't know how you did it without any tank or anything, but I know it's you John!" Her voice sounded brave, and she was standing in a strong stance with her hands out and directing her blue hex magic, but Zuko saw she was shaking.

"Sit down Wanda, you'll over exert yourself," he said. "And I told you, my name's Zuko not…John?" Still she didn't budge. Her blue eyes glowered down at his golden gaze as if trying to pry some deep secret from them. She took in him in his entirety; his build, his probable height, his eyes, his accent, his scar…. Slowly, she relaxed and brought her shield down but kept bits of chaos magic dancing over her knuckles.

"You…you said you're a.. a _fire bender_?" she asked slowly. Zuko rolled his eyes.

"No, obviously I'm an air bender. Of course I'm a fire bender!" Then he realized she wasn't being sarcastic, she was actually asking him. "Oh. Uh, yeah I'm a fire bender. And I was asking you what you were?" Slowly she sat back down on the sand, still keeping a wary eye on him.

"I'm a mutant, the Scarlet Witch."

"I thought you said your name was Wanda?" he asked, still trying to figure out what part of her was mutated.

"It is," she told him. "I mean, that's my birth name. Mutants…we choose names for ourselves that reflect what we can do. I mean sometimes. Well, it's complicated."

"What you can…do? You mean like that blue stuff?" Zuko asked. Wanda nodded. She took a deep breath. She didn't know what she had done, but somehow she was somewhere where mutants didn't exist… but benders did? This was going to take a lot of explaining, on both parts.

"It's a really long story, and I'm kind of freezing to death," she admitted. Zuko had been warming himself with his bending and hadn't even noticed that the sun was almost gone, leaving room for the night's chill to take place.

"Oh shit I'm so sorry!" he exclaimed then leapt up, offering her a hand to help her up as well. She looked at it hesitantly, then slowly eased her hand into his. He lifted her easily to her feet. She stood for a second then two before she felt the shaking in her muscles. Her body was just about done in. She'd over exerted herself, just like Zuko had warned. "Careful!" he said as she swayed. "Here, let me help you," he offered and went to put an arm around her waist.

"I'm fine!" she growled at him. He frowned at her, and crossed his arms.

"Fine, we'll see how far you get by yourself," he challenged and headed off up the path towards his old house. Wanda took a few feeble steps before her knees gave out. Zuko had been expecting this, but allowed her to fall to prove his point. He came back to smirk down at her. "Now will you let me help you?" he asked. Wanda glowered at him again. Red humiliation burned on her cheeks as she looked away from him.

"I'm not weak, you know," she hissed. Zuko crouched down in front of her.

"I know. But asking for help doesn't make a person weak, it makes them smart. My uncle taught me that." Cautiously Wanda turned her head to face him. There was no sneer on his mouth and no laughter in his eyes to give away any condescending nature.

"I…I just… I'm just tired, is all." She said hotly but her heart wasn't in it. Her vision was swimming, and every bone in her body ached with weariness. _I guess changing worlds will do that to a girl,_ she thought wearily, then let out a surprising noise before she could stop it. Her hand slapped over her mouth to stop the giggle from coming out, but it was too late. She _never_ giggled…whatever she had done had exhausted her to the point of insanity, that must be it. Zuko smirked again, and offered his hand. This time she took it after only a moment of uncertainty. Again he pulled her up with ease then allowed her to shift most of her weight onto him. Again her eyes marveled at the bare torso that was supporting her, which had all manner of inappropriate thoughts flooding through her head. _Stop that_, she told herself. She'd been around attractive men before and it had never been a distraction. She hardly ever noticed them, to be honest. They were either targets and enemies, or someone she didn't care enough about to spare a second glance to. For a moment she reveled in a new that that occurred to her: If there were no mutants here, would she have enemies? Usually it would be the 'normal' people, but according to Zuko the benders were just as accepted as everyone else. At least from the way he asked her what type she was. He just assumed….and he was one himself, wasn't he? They couldn't be all bad. What type of world had she brought herself into? How? She wished Agatha was there to explain some of this to her. Well, there was still Zuko. He would be able to explain things to her.

Zuko looked down at her from the corner of his eye. She fascinated him, and he didn't even know why. Maybe it was just because she was new to him. If she really had come from...well, somewhere else… what would the others think of her? What was her world like, he wondered. It must have been horrible, to leave her so hateful and mistrusting. He felt there was a great beast stirring beneath her pretty surface. Pretty? Again his eyes cast down across her face and down the length of her body. Luckily she didn't see him, as she was focusing on walking. Yes, he supposed she was pretty. And that was ok, wasn't it? To accept that another person was pleasing? Pleasing? He shook his head, which Wanda noticed.

"You ok?" she asked him, halting the tumult of thoughts that he was trying to ignore.

"I'm not the one having trouble putting one foot in front of the other," he retorted playfully. Wanda growled in return.

"Just you wait 'til I get my strength back. I'll kick your ass." Zuko chuckled.

"I'll take that bet," he told her with a smile. They finally reached the front door, which Zuko opened for her before helping her in then onto the couch. "There are several spare rooms here, and you should rest." Wanda cast her eyes about. The place was huge!

"Whoa, what kind of rich are you?" she asked, and Zuko shrugged. He saw no reason to tell her of his title right then. It could wait, though he wasn't sure why he wasn't telling her. Fire Lord was no longer something he had to be ashamed of. He was doing good things now, to counter all the bad his predecessors had wreaked over the three other nations. Just this morning he had sent plans for a new city to Aang. He was pulled from his thoughts when Wanda's eyes started to flutter.

"Come on, I'll take you to a room," he told her, then helped her off of the couch. She was going to argue with him about being able to do it herself, but the words died on her lips. Besides, she didn't hate the fact that she was able to feel his arm around her again. _Wait, __**what? **_Wanda surprised herself with that thought. Sex had been the farthest thing from her mind her whole life. Men never interested her, and neither did women, for that matter. Still, it was hard to deny she was very interested in Zuko's physique. Scar or no, he was one of the more pleasing people she had ever come across. _Stop it_! She chided herself once more. It was just her brain being fried from over working. She would be normal by tomorrow. Then again, this was a new world. What would be so wrong about developing something more with the person who saved her from drowning, and was kind to her while she gained her bearing? So what if she found him attractive? Was that so bad?

"Zuko?" called a husky voice from the darkness down the hall. Zuko's whole body stiffened at the sound of it.

_Shit_, he thought. "Yeah?" he asked. The woman came out of the bedroom and wrapped a robe around her.

"What are you doing out here this late? Wh-..who is that?" she asked. Wanda narrowed her eyes at the dark-haired girl.

"This is Wanda," Zuko explained hesitantly. "She got into some trouble out in the ocean, and needs a place to stay while she recovers. And Wanda, this is Mai…my fiancé."


	3. Chapter 3

Fiancé?! What the fuck? Wanda nodded her head at the woman, _Mai_, before Zuko continued to escort her to the room she would be staying in.

"You can stay here," Zuko told her, pushing a door to the side to reveal a very ornate room with a large circular bed in the center. Everything was covered in different hues of red, as well as a black symbol that looked like three flames.

"I take it you guys like fire," Wanda remarked dryly. Zuko shrugged.

"You're in the Fire Nation; what do you expect?" Fire Nation? Wanda had to figure out what was going on, but right then her body was begging to lay down and never get back up. She stumbled to the seductive bed and collapsed into it without even waiting for Zuko to leave the room. "I'll be back in the morning to check on you. Maybe then we can continue our game?" he asked her. He sent her a wicked smile, but she could tell it was strained. _As it should be! He's engaged!_ she yelled at herself. Physically she managed a grumble of acknowledgement. She heard the door shut behind Zuko meaning he had left her. For a moment she entertained the idea of staying awake, but her body and mid had other ideas. Within seconds she was out.

Wanda's dreams seemed just as confusing as her conscious world had become. Magneto was chasing her, but somehow he morphed into a giant slobbering silver dog with dagger-like claws. He almost had her in his grasp when she fell straight through the street and into the heart of a raging fire. The flames didn't burn her, but something was glinting through the flickering light. When she turned around to look she found it was a mirror. As she gazed into the mirror, she found that it wasn't her who was staring back. It was a strikingly beautiful woman with long billowing hair and red clothes. Wanda took a step back, and so did the woman. When she looked into the stranger's eyes, Wanda saw her own. The reflection gave her a smirk, then winked. "Wait!" Wanda called as the woman began to waiver. She felt something on her shoulder so she turned to see what it was.

"Wanda," called a husky voice that made her smile. "Wanda?" No one was there, but her shoulder was shaking. "Wanda," he called again, and this time her eyes opened. Sunlight was streaming in through the window, painting the room with vivid reds that the darkness had muted the night before. She made a groggy noise and blinked, trying to remember where she was. This wasn't her room, that much she knew. With this knowledge came the blue hex magic to ward off any attackers. "Wanda, it's ok, it's just me," he said again, then Wanda fixated on his face. Recognition hit her, as well as memories of what had taken place. _What __**had**__taken place?_ she wondered.

"Oh, sorry," she muttered to Zuko and allowed her hex threat to fade. She put a hand to her throbbing head and shut her eyes. "What time is it?" she asked.

"Almost mid-day," he told her.

"What? I slept all day?" Wanda demanded. Zuko shrugged.

"You seemed tired. I let you sleep because you needed it. But you also need food. Here." It wasn't until then that Wanda was able to smell the mouth-watering scents drifting to her from something he was holding. The food seemed strange to her – definitely wasn't a burger or fries – but it was better than what she had been getting recently at the Brotherhood house. She sat up to take the tray, allowing him room to sit down. She watched Zuko from the corner of her eyes as she ate, still trying to figure him out. Well, if she could figure her situation out first, that might help.

"I never said thank you, for rescuing me last night," she told him softly without meeting his eyes. She wasn't used to thanking people, and it was hard for her to choke out. Zuko just shrugged.

"It was no problem," he told her. An awkward silence started to build between them, which Wanda attempted to avoid by focusing on her breakfast. At least physically. Mentally her mind was racing with questions. The same could be said about Zuko as he continued to imagine how she got there and what her blue magic meant.

"Is Mai around?" Wanda asked in an attempt to clear the air between them. She didn't mean it to sound harsh, but the words had more bite to them once she voiced them. Zuko looked at her, then shrugged.

"No, she usually leaves during the day to train with the other girls." Wanda perked up at the word 'train.' That was one concept she was very familiar with, but probably in a different way she reasoned with herself. They weren't mutants.

"What other girls? And to train at doing what?" she asked. Zuko once more wore an easy smile.

"Isn't it my turn?" he asked then leaned back on his hands. Wanda scowled at him, and he just laughed. "Fine, but I get the next one. Mai goes with Ty Lee, Katara, Toph and Suki down to the courtyard for combat training and bending practice. It's their 'girl time.'" Wanda seemed really interested in this fact, but before she could ask any more questions Zuko cut her off. "My turn, remember? You're not the only curious one."

"Fine," Wanda said with a roll of her eyes, then rested her back against the pillow behind her. "What do you want to know?"

"Well, first off, what are 'mutants'?" Zuko inquired. Wanda's eyebrows came together as she thought of the best way to answer him.

"Where I come from, my world or reality has people with advanced X-genes." Zuko looked at her strangely and she shook her head. "Don't ask me to get into the biology of it, I don't fully get it myself. All I know is that some people are, well, _gifted_ with a type of ability that is unique to them."

"Ability? Like what?" asked Zuko. He knew it had to be something different than what he knew of bending because of her reaction to both the term and his use of his own fire bending the night before.

"That's an impossible question to answer. Each person is different. I can use chaos magic, which is the hex magic that you've seen me use." She summoned the power to pool in her palm for a moment to give him a visual, then let it fade as she continued. "Other people have other abilities. Some are really strong, or fast, or smart, but there are other unique things too. Lance, someone I know, can cause earthquakes whenever he wants. Kitty can walk through walls. Nightcrawler can teleport instantly from one place to another…there's so many it would be impossible to list, and even more that I don't know about." Zuko was intent on her every word. This was enthralling to him. "Does that make sense?" Wanda asked when he was quiet for a few moments.

"Yeah, I mean I think so. Toph can make the earth quake as well, but the other things… that's amazing." Wanda gave a dark laugh.

"Well, I'm glad you think so," she told him in a bitter tone. "There are a lot of people in my world that fear and hate us for things we never asked for. Or others of my kind hate the normal people for their discrimination. See, we were able to hide ourselves from being found out for a long time, but eventually we were exposed." She shook her head, remembering the war that had been breaking out between mutants and 'normal' people. "My turn," she said as she pushed the thought from her mind. "Explain to me how 'bending' works."

"That's not really a question," Zuko pointed out. Wanda scoffed at him, and Zuko continued. "But I know what you mean. My world has four nations: The Earth Kingdom, the Fire Nation, the Water Tribes and the Air Nomads." Darkness crossed through Zuko's eyes as he remembered the fate that befell the last group, at the hands of his ancestor and predecessor. He really didn't need to go into that just then, though. "Each group has benders, or people who have the ability to control that element. Not everyone is a bender, just like in your world not everyone is a mutant. But here, benders aren't hated or feared. It's commonplace." _Now,_ said a nasty voice in the back of his head. Again Zuko had to push away the repulsive remembrance of what the other nations had to endure during his father's reign.

Wanda and Zuko spent all day asking questions and learning from one another. In the beginning it was only of the other world that they were each foreign to, but eventually it turned to more personal matters. Zuko talked to the disappearance of his mother, and his never ending search to find her or what had happened to her. He built up to telling her of his status and what that meant, explaining the tasks of a Fire Lord and the deeds done by previous holders of the position. He lamented that his father had been so evil, and admitted to being afraid that the same blood coursed through his veins. He wanted to be a good leader, one that would repair as much damage as possible done by the previous Fire Lords, but wasn't sure he was capable of doing so. He was scared that he would take on traits of his sister and become mad with power.

Wanda was able to open up for the first time in her life as well. She told him of her early childhood that had been wasted away in the asylum, because her father feared her mutant abilities. She told him about how she had been used by Mystique as a weapon against the X-men and even Magneto himself, explaining the war between the various groups of mutants as well as the unmutated population. She told him how Magneto had tampered with her memories, and of her intentions after she regained them. Both Wanda and Zuko were astounded by how much they had in common, even coming from entirely different realities. They bonded over the good, the bad and the ugly parts of their lives that they shared with one another.

By the time they had reached this point, Wanda had also been given a full tour of Zuko's house on Ember Island, as well as most of the island. It was well past dark by the time they returned home, and everyone else had gone to sleep. She now knew that, in addition to the 'girl group' Zuko had previously mentioned, there were others staying here as well that included Sokka and Iroh. Aang had been pulled away to take care of some business in Ba Sing Se. She hadn't met anyone besides Mai yet, but Zuko promised it would be soon.

"Zuko?" asked Wanda. She was laying in a hammock between the pillars of his back porch while he lounged on top of the railing across from her, one leg dangling off the side. They both had been watching the stars, so Zuko turned to look at her when she spoke.

"Yeah?" he answered. Wanda bit her lip. She had been so open with him, more than anyone else before in her life. He too, had shared some very private moments with her. More than anything, she wanted to question him about the one topic she had avoided like the plague all day: Mai. Yet still she held back, afraid of the complications it might bring out. "What is it?" he asked her.

"It's nothing," she said and pushed her head back to glare at the stars above them.

"Wanda, what is it?" Zuko asked again. She sighed.

"I was just going to ask…" again she faltered. "About the stars. They're so clear here. Do you have any constellations?" Zuko was more than happy to point them out to her, but he knew that wasn't the question she had been wanting to ask. Still, he'd rather not push her and would allow her to come to it in her own time. He told her the stories behind the stars and their names, but eventually the silence came again.

"Wanda?" he asked her in a rough voice. Wanda looked over at him, to catch him staring at her. He knew he was engaged to Mai. He would honor that, as he had thus far. He had resisted all temptations, even though Katara had been a giant tease the whole time they had traveled together. Still, he remained true to Mai. He would keep his honor, no matter what. Keeping that in mind, he allowed himself to recognize that he was attracted to Wanda on a deeply intimate level. His eyes met her sapphire gaze, so bright right then. An ache started in his chest but he quickly doused it. "I think we should get some sleep. The sun will be rising soon, then the others will be up." Wanda seemed crestfallen, but hid it quickly.

"Yeah, you're right," she said and pulled herself from the hammock. Zuko stepped down from the railing to escort her inside and towards her room. Wanda was drastically aware of his presence, but blamed the heat that her body could feel from his on the fact that he was a fire bender. Maybe that happened with all fire benders…. Then they were standing outside her door. He looked down into her eyes, forced into close proximity due to the narrowness of the hallway, and the ache in his chest began again.

"Uh, goodnight Wanda," Zuko said and took a step away from her, back in the direction of his own room. Wanda blinked rapidly to try and quell the feeling of rejection that didn't even make sense since she knew he was Mai's. She regained her composure and managed a smile.

"Goodnight Zuko. I'll see you tomorrow." He nodded in return.

"Maybe, if you're feeling strong enough, Mai can take you with her to meet the other girls."

"Yeah," Wanda replied, opening the door behind her. "That'd be fun. Well, thank you. For….everything."

"It was no problem," he told her and returned her smile. Before things could get any more awkward, Wanda stepped into her room and closed the door behind her. She kicked herself mentally for allowing him to get so close to her, and for letting him in so much.

"One day here and I'm already fucking up," Wanda mused tartly to herself. With a disgruntled huff she fell into the bed that had been made since she had last seen it. There was also a new arrival of bed-clothes. Red garments of the softest silk she had ever touched. This made her smile and she eagerly slipped them on. _Taken or not, _she thought to herself _there are definitely perks to staying with a Fire Lord._


	4. Chapter 4

Zuko woke up later than his usual time, but not by much. The late night hadn't fazed him as much as he thought it would have. The sun was still new in the sky as he got up and dressed. Breakfast was already made for him and his guests, though he and Suki were the only ones there as usual. The others didn't have the habit of dawn wake-up calls as he and Suki were trained to.

"Good morning Zuko," she chirped brightly at him as she usually did. He was about to answer back when her eyes focused on something behind him. He turned to see Wanda and tilted his head to one side.

"I didn't know you'd be up this early," he commented and she shrugged. Her time hunting Magneto had left her very little time to sleep, so he had adapted to only getting a few hours; the time spent recovering the day before notwithstanding. "Suki, this is Wanda. Wanda, Suki." Wanda came over and offered her hand, which Suki took by the forearm and Zuko had taught her about yesterday.

"Good to meet you," Suki told her happily. "Mai told us someone else was here, but not much else. It's good to finally see you." This surprised a smile out of Wanda as they dropped arms.

"Zuko's told me a lot about you, it's good to meet you too." She had never been very gifted in public situations and was starting to feel uncomfortable.

"Come have breakfast with us! You must be hungry," Suki said and pulled her toward the table.

"Uh, yeah I guess." Wanda sat down across from next to Suki while Zuko sat across from the two of them. Before long Wanda's hesitancy towards Suki had totally melted. The Kyoshi warrior was warm and welcoming, and before long she and Wanda were conversing with ease. Wanda asked about the Kyoshi warrior, and Zuko almost choked on his food.

"No, Wanda don't-!" he began to warn but it was too late. Suki's face lit up like the sun.

"Come with me and see! I'd be glad to give you a lesson! I usually use this time for self study so it's no problem at all." Before Wanda could say a word against it Suki was dragging her off towards the lower dojo that Zuko had converted into a training room for Suki and other Kyoshi warriors who wanted to train there when they stayed in Ember Island. "Here, put this on!" she said and shoved the Kyoshi warrior garb at her.

"Uh, no," Wanda said and held it at a full arm's length from her. "Not only no, but no way in _hell_." Suki frowned at her.

"You have to. It's the only way I can teach you how to fight."

"I already know how to fight," Wanda protested. Suki raised an eyebrow at her in a challenge. Like lightning the fiery warrior launched herself at Wanda, whipping fans out of nowhere to attack. Wanda fell into her habitual fighter's stance, bending her knees to stay plated while bringing up her glowing fists. Suki was fast, but no match for Wanda's witchcraft. She was easily hexed across the dojo and into the rack holding all of the other weapons. Wanda stayed where she was, still tense and awaiting the next attack. Suki pulled herself out of the tangled mess she had become then looked at Wanda with awe.

"What was _that_?!" Suki exclaimed. Wanda shrugged one shoulder. Here we go again.

"Where I come from, we have people who we call mutants. Like what you call benders, only each person has something different and from what I know, no two are the same. I can use chaos magic; it's how I got here. Zuko and I figured that I must have warped myself into a different reality, or plane, or world or whatever-the-fuck you want to call it." Suki watched her with wide eyes and for a minute Wanda's old paranoia of non-mutants returned. She was sure Suki was about to start yelling, screaming, crying or attacking at any second.

"You have to come with us!" Suki squealed, surprising Wanda.

"Huh?" Wanda asked. Her shoulders relaxed and she stood up straight, coming out of her fighting stance.

"The other girls and I, we get together to practice our fighting and bending skills. You _have_ to show the others. We usually go somewhere around mid-day, oh please come!" Suki begged. She came over and took Wanda's hand, which caught her off guard.

"Uh," she said and took a step back. "Ok I guess."

"Alright! Does Zuko know about this?" she asked excitedly.

"Uh, yeah?" Wanda answered tentatively.

"That ass! I can't believe he's been holding out on us." Wanda was starting to feel apprehensive about the amount of excitement that Suki was exhibiting. Suki was able to pick up a little bit of Wanda's hesitancy. "Hey, for now would you like to learn hand-to-hand combat?" Wanda looked at her quizzically.

"Why would I need to learn that?" Wanda asked.

"Well, have your…um…abilities?" she asked, searching for the right word to describe Wanda's powers. Wanda nodded her head in approval. "Ok, have your abilities ever failed you?"

"You mean like didn't work?"

"Yeah, exactly. I don't know how it is for mutants, but the benders can be shut down by chi blockers. Ty Lee is an expert in it, and she's been teaching the rest of us how to use it to our advantage. If we do it right, the bender who is opposing us loses their bending for a little while," Suki explained.

"I don't know if bending and mutant abilities are wired the same, but you could give it a shot," Wanda offered. She was almost sure bending would be different, or else she would never put up the idea. The thought of being without her powers left Wanda feeling scared and helpless, like a caged dog.

"Well, I'm no Ty Lee but I'll give it a go," Suki said. Without warning her hands shot out in penetrating jabs, hitting Wanda in sensitive nerve areas. Wanda had to make a conscious effort not to hex the shit out of Suki, reminding herself that the attack was with her permission and was to test a theory. Within seconds Suki took a step back and watched Wanda closely. The mutant was only able to stay standing for a few more seconds after that before her knees gave way and she was kneeling on the ground. She tried to life her arms, but was only slightly successful. "Can you, um…use it?" Suki asked as she fumbled for the right word to describe Wanda's powers in use. Wanda closed her eyes and concentrated on the fire in her chest, the fuel to the fire that was her witchcraft. She inhaled the power deeper into her and felt it course through her veins. She allowed herself a tiny smirk as Suki's only warning, then sent out a wave of her magic. Suki was once again hexed backwards into the wall behind her. The use of her chaos magic also allowed Wanda use of her motor skills. She stood and flexed her hands while looking them over.

"Suki? You ok?" Wanda asked as Suki pulled herself to her feet.

"Yeah, I think so. Your magic really packs a punch," she grumbled, one hand rubbing the back of her head. "It looked like it started to work. What happened?"

"I don't know. Chaos magic is exactly what it sounds like. I can direct it at who I want, with definite intentions that I have learned control over with training, but past that it's all guesswork. All I did was pull the magic into my body. I guess it restored whatever you did. Then I channeled it outwards toward you, and that seemed to work out pretty well." Wanda gave Suki a wolfish grin, which Suki gave a playful scowl at.

"Well, ok I guess you proved your point. There's really no reason for me to teach you to defend yourself, when you clearly have that down to an art." The words should have had a bitter or sarcastic tone, and would have in the mouth of anyone else. When Suki said them, however, she seemed completely genuine.

"I'd still like to learn whatever I can from you," Wanda suggested. "I think you're right, about me relying on my abilities too much. If they ever did disappear for whatever reason, I'd be fucked." Suki looked dubious, so Wanda continued. "What would it hurt?" That made the Kyoshi warrior grin outright.

"Ok, I'll teach you. But you have to wear the uniform." Wanda groaned at this.

"I _really_ have to?" she moaned. Suki's grin got wider and she shoved the green-hued dress back into Wanda's arms.

"Yes, you _really_ have to."

Wanda was surprised at how advanced her teacher was with martial arts. Even the combat-ready X-men could easily be bested by her quick and decisive moves. Her fan became a deadly weapon simple twists and jabs. Suki was patient with her, but Wanda wasn't nearly on Suki's level. She knew enough to be dangerous with average people simply because one of her outlets for the pent up anger that always boiled beneath her surface was to workout. But she never did so with any point besides releasing tension and now was panting heavily by the time Suki stopped. Wanda knew it was for her, because Suki wasn't even winded. Still, she had learned a lot on the two hours that Suki had spent with her.

"I gotta go run some errands in town, but I will definitely come back in time to bring you to the girl's training session," Suki promised as they cleaned up and put the warrior dresses away. Wanda bid her farewell and made her way back up to the main house. It seemed empty, so she made her way to where Zuko had told her she could take a bath the night before. After she cleaned herself up, she wasn't sure what to do with herself. At first she attempted staying in her room, but soon enough she was far too bored to stay in one place. Instead she began her own walk-through of the parts of the house that Zuko had already shown her, taking her time to soak it all in. She was examining a portrait of Zuko as a very young child when a voice made her jump practically out of her skin.

"Very handsome, wasn't he?" After Wanda had gasped and whirled around, hands ablaze with chaos magic, the speaker continued. "I am sorry if I frightened you, young lady," he apologized with his hands up, palms facing her. "I didn't mean to startle you." Wanda let her magic fade, though still kept her guard up. He didn't seem to be a threat, as he was much older than even Professor X. His head was bald, but the long flowing beard he had was a brilliant white.

"Oh, sorry," she mumbled.

"No need to apologize," he told her with a calming smile. "You must be my nephew's newest guest." He bowed his head towards her, and after a second's hesitation she returned the gesture.

"Um, yeah. I mean yes. My name is Wanda. You're Zuko's uncle Iroh? He's told me a lot about you." Iroh chuckled then came to join her to look at the painting of Zuko's younger self.

"All good things, I hope." Wanda smiled. For some reason this elderly man with smiles in his eyes made Wanda relax almost completely.

"Yes, he speaks very highly of you. You mean a lot to him, sir." she admitted.

"The feelings are mutual. Zuko is like a son to me. And there is no need to address me as 'sir.' You are a guest of Zuko's and therefore mine. You can call me Uncle," he told her with a smile that seemed to come directly from his heart. Wanda couldn't help but smile back.

"I've never had an uncle before," she admitted.

"Is that so? I didn't know that. There is a lot I don't know about you, Wanda. Come, I will make some tea. I hope you like jasmine."

"Actually, I've never had it," Wanda admitted.

"Never had jasmine tea? Such a shame. Well today is your lucky day. You get to live a new experience." Wanda found herself blushing. Iroh led her out of the room and down into the kitchen. There were some servants in there, who gave low bows of respect to Iroh. He returned them with a bow of his own, after which he politely asked them to see to their personal needs for a while. The kitchen instantly became vacated, leaving only Wanda and Iroh.

"So, Wanda, tell me about yourself," Iroh prompted while he set to work making tea. Wanda became silent. What was there to say? What should she say? The only identifiers she had in her life was her title as Scarlet Witch, her chaos magic, her temper and her father. Just the thought of that man made her blood boil. She hadn't noticed that Iroh had been staring at her until he spoke. "Such pain should not fill eyes as beautiful as yours. What is it that troubles you?" Wanda let out a sigh.

"It seems that the life I escaped has come with me after all," she lamented.

"Mmm," hummed Iroh. "Yes, it can be hard to let old wounds fade, especially when they have taken up much of your life." Wanda looked at him sharply, wondering if Zuko had told him any of the things she had confided in him. Iroh interpreted her look correctly and addressed it. "No one has betrayed your trust, child: No one aside from yourself. You carry the weight of your past world on your shoulders and in the depths of your soul. Anyone who looks too carefully at you can easily see that you have lived a heavy life even at such a young age." His observation made her shoulders sag, and she put her chin in her hands.

"But I left that world, and its problems, behind. Why is it that it still haunts me?" she asked.

"Perhaps you are not sure how to live without the pain yet. When a constant companion passes, it takes many months and even years to learn to live without him." He paused as the kettle over the fire began to whistle a high pitched tune. Iroh pulled it from the flames with his bare hands and poured it as easily as if he had pulled it off of a shelf. Wanda had to remind herself of what Zuko had told her. Iroh was a fire bender, and a damn good one at that. What had it been that Zuko had called him? The Dragon of the West? He gave her a cup of steaming tea then sat across from her with his own, sipping it slowly. "Time works in the opposite way we want it to; it fades too quickly when we want the most from it, then lingers when we need to move on. But still, no matter how we perceive the pace, time continues to roll on without any care of what goes on in our lives. Time will pass Wanda, and with it I think pieces of you pain will begin to fade away as well. Not all at once, but if you let it go, you will eventually be able to rid yourself of it. The trick is you. As long as you can teach yourself to learn to live without it, there is hope." That made sense. And now that she was no longer in the same realm as her father, there was absolutely no need to carry around the still-burning hatred and craving for his death.

"I understand," she said, but her eyebrows knitted together. As much as it made sense, she still found herself beating against a brick wall. Such a large section of her had been devoted to the consuming hatred that she wasn't sure she could still be whole without it.

"An easy way to pass the time is to make new friends, try new things, and make each day worth living more than the last." Wanda tilted her head at Iroh.

"How do you do that?" she asked. He seemed old enough that all the days would have blurred together by now. Iroh gave her another warm and inviting smile.

"You really want to know my secret?" he asked her. She nodded eagerly. Iroh held up his cup and took a long sip from it. He closed his eyes to savor the taste before swallowing. "Tea." Wanda laughed. An actual _laugh_. She followed his suit and brought her own cup to her lips.

"Oh my God, this is amazing Uncle!" she told him. Iroh chuckled his delight at her discovery.

"I am glad that it is to your liking," he mused softly. They continued to sip for a while longer, both of them comfortable with the silence. Finally Wanda spoke.

"I can see why Zuko loves you so much. He's very lucky to have you."

"I see it as the other way around. It is I who am lucky to have him. He is a very good man, a great leader, and the best nephew an old man like me could ever ask for," Iroh answered. Wanda leaned her cheek against a closed fist while she listened to Iroh.

"You've been with him his whole life, haven't you? Even through the banishment," Wanda asked but it was more of an observation.

"Yes, I have," Iroh answered.

"Would you tell me some stories about him?" Wanda asked with a hint of mischief in her smirk. Iroh ran a hand over his beard as he thought about it.

"I suppose it could do no harm to tell some of the finer moments of his life to a bright, beautiful young woman," he said with a wink. "But I have something to ask in return."

"Sure," agreed Wanda. If it had been anyone else she would have held back out of distrust. With Iroh though, she felt completely at home.

"For every story I tell you of my nephew, you tell me of your past. But not just any story. I want you to focus on the good moments, no matter how small or how long ago." Here was where Wanda hesitated.

"I'm not sure that I-" she started to protest, but Iroh shook his head.

"That is my bargain. And I do have some very interesting stories to tell you, should you accept. I'll even go first, to give you inspiration." Wanda thought about it, then nodded. She wasn't sure how many happy moments she could dredge out of the whirling tornado of fury, pain and hatred that had been her life, but she would give it a shot.

"Ok, I'll do my best," she agreed. Iroh smiled and leaned back in his chair.

"This calls for more tea," he said and Wanda laughed.


	5. Chapter 5

"No way, you're lying!" accused Wanda in shock. Iroh chuckled.

"I give you my word, that is the honest truth."

"Zuko really dove into a tub of red dye, just to rescue a mouse-mole?" Wanda asked.

"None of the other workers in the shop saw the poor creature, they were too busy to look up from their weaving." He took a sip from his cup and chortled again. "We were able to get the dye out of his skin after a day, but he had bright red hair and eyebrows for weeks." Wanda laughed a bit more, imagining the prince of the Fire Nation covered in red dye.

"I suppose it's my turn again," Wanda mused and racked her brain for another positive memory. Already she had been able to recall a surprising amount. Before speaking with Iroh, she could have sworn that she only had one or two, but astonishingly she found herself able to go back and forth with her new Uncle for the past few hours. Hmmm, what else was there? Something triggered her twin's face in her mind. _Pietro?_ she wondered, but decided to follow it. Instantly her brain locked up and wouldn't allow her any farther. It was always been this way. For some reason she had very few memories of her brother, and when she tried to look for more it would only get harder. Still, she felt that there were a positive end to this thread, and pushed through. Eventually the fog cleared and Wanda smiled. "When I was very small, maybe three or four, my brother Pietro caught some other kids picking on me. Neither of us had our powers back then, so I really had no defenses. He came over and punched the biggest one as hard as he could in the face, telling him that I was his. After that, I don't remember them ever bothering me again." Iroh smiled softly at her.

"He must have loved you very much," he commented. Wanda's eyes flashed and she turned away.

"It was a long time ago, Uncle. Things changed. People changed." Iroh put his hand over Wanda's and met her gaze.

"You cannot change what has already transpired, but you can accept it, and create a new future for yourself. As you said, people can change. You have already taken the first step on the long road of healing yourself."

"I have?" she asked him and he nodded.

"By focusing on the good parts on your life, it will only get better. Choose to see and dwell on the positive, and you will become positive." Wanda offered him a smile of gratitude.

"I guess you're right," she said just was Zuko walked into the kitchen. They both looked up while he looked between the two.

"Zuko, I am glad that you could join us," Iroh said. "Would you like a cup of tea?" Zuko shook his head.

"Maybe later, Uncle. I'm glad that you two got a chance to meet."

"Me too," agreed Wanda.

"Suki is looking for you, Wanda," Zuko told her. Wanda looked out of the window at the sun and was startled to see how much time had passed.

"Am I late?" she asked and stood up. Zuko again shook his head.

"No, if we leave right now we should be right on time," he answered. Wanda set to work cleaning up before Iroh stopped her.

"Wanda, you have places to go and people to meet. Leave the busy work to an old man with nothing to do." Zuko snorted. The day that his uncle became an old man with nothing to do would be the day the earth stood still. However he was right about one thing.

"We really should be going," he told Wanda.

"'We'?" she asked him. "I thought it was just a girl thing." A wide grin spread across his face.

"It usually is, but today is a special occasion. Suki told Sokka about you, and wanted him to come see what you could do. Sokka told Katara, who told Toph, who told me. So I guess we will be joining you." Wanda scowled. She hated crowds, but even worse than that she hated being the center of attention.

"Maybe I should just stay here," she stated to say but Zuko cut her off.

"Everyone is really excited. Your mutant powers are something that our world has never seen. Please?" His eyes locked onto her, golden pools of liquid honey begging her to do something for him. Suddenly her throat wouldn't allow air to her lungs and her chest seemed to constrict as well. Iroh coughed, which brought her back to reality as well as a bright red burning she felt on her cheeks. Iroh muttered something about having things to do and excused himself, though Zuko saw the playful smile on his uncle's face. It was much like the one he had back in Ba Sing Se when they owned that tea shop and he encountered their 'most valued customer'. Zuko shook his head.

"Ok, I'll go," agreed Wanda, though in her heart of hearts she knew that she never would have done it for anyone else.

Wanda was introduced to everyone quickly, so it was hard for her to remember who was who. Suki she had met earlier that morning, and Zuko she would never forget –_Wait, __**what?**_** – **she shoved that from her mind. Katara was first, a darker-skinned girl who wore all blue. Her eyes were wide and doe-eyed, which gave Wanda the impression that she would probably be easy for her to best in a fight. She was sweet though, very kind to Wanda. Next was Katara's brother, Sokka, who also wore all blue. He seemed stand-offish around Wanda, as if he didn't know what to think of her and assumed not to trust her. Wanda sympathized with this; had he shown up in her world she would have treated him about the same way, maybe worse. It was the mark of someone who knew the ugly side of the world. Then came Toph, a shorter girl with misted eyes, meaning she was blind. Before Wanda could even pass judgment on that aspect, Toph introduced herself. The way she carried herself and talked let Wanda know she was probably the toughest person in the group. She had been given a challenge and made herself stronger by overcoming it. Wanda had the most respect for her out of the whole troupe. Ty Lee flounced up after that, proving that Katara wasn't the only one with doe-eyes and a bright smile. Only Suki's earlier warning about Ty Lee's abilities to block other benders made Wanda take her even somewhat seriously as a combat opponent. Last was Mai. The dark haired woman glanced over at Wanda from a distance away through a half-lidded glare before turning back around without another word. The others apologized for her and explained that it was just the way she was, but Wanda wasn't so sure. Before she had time to worry about it they had formed a circle around her and Katara.

"Ok, let's start this out slow," Katara said and brought her hands up, fingers splayed out. A small stream of water followed her movements, flowing into a string then a circle around her.

"Uh, ok," Wanda agreed dubiously. Yeah, slow, ok. Wanda took a step towards her and let a flick of water fly from her circle and towards Wanda. Without even thinking about it, Wanda stepped forward, her right hand out with her thumb, forefinger and pinky extended, sending a hex at the water which turned against Katara and soaked her. "Sorry," Wanda said and rubbed her elbow while biting her lip.

"No, no it's ok," Katara said. She made a puling motion with her hand away from her body and the water followed it off of her clothes and hair to flow back into the ring she still held. Suki giggled.

"Katara, it'd be easier and faster if you went ahead and gave her all you got," she suggested. Katara turned to look at the warrior. Suki just shrugged and nudged her on.

"Are you sure?" Katara asked.

"Try me," Wanda said, feeling confident about herself now. If Suki said she could do it, then she figured she could. A smirk played on Katara's lips.

"If you say so." Both of her arms surged out to either side, only to be flung up then towards Wanda in the same motion as a jump and twirl. This brought about a giant wave of water which Katara was in the center of. The wave circled Wanda, taking out her legs so she fell then was pushed against the courtyard. Ice solidified around her, leaving only her face free. Katara was advancing on her already. Wanda's hands stared to glow blue, then before Katara could take one more step the ice shattered and was directed back at the water bender. Katara brought up a shield of water to catch the ice shards, but several of them made it through. Wanda slashed a glowing hand across the air in front of her, throwing a very strong hex at Katara. This sent her flying backwards hard enough to hit the side of a stone building. Wanda stopped and straightened, then turned to face Suki to see if she had done what they wanted her to do. Suki was beaming at her, so she supposed it was a good thing.

"Look out!" called Ty Lee. Luckily that gave Wanda just enough time to throw out a blue circle of magic around her, so the water washed harmlessly past her. Wanda fired back with another hex that turned the water against her and pinned Katara to the ground. Her hair had come loose of the braid it had been before and dripped down to cover her shoulders. The water bender didn't waste any time in catching her breath. She pulled the water backwards then curved around her body in order to sling shot daggers of ice at Wanda. Again she turned the daggers against the one who sent them, forcing Katara to take protective measures from her own bending. She shot her arms out and made striking motions with a flat hand, sending arms of water out to grab Wanda. The Scarlet Witch used her magic-covered hand to grab several and give them fierce yanks. This brought Katara sprawling on the ground before her, just in time for Wanda to totally take over the vines of water and use them to douse Katara once again. Katara was breathing heavily as she pulled herself to her feet.

"Suki was right," she said. "You do have a lot of potential."

"You're only saying that because you got your ass beat. Let me have a crack at her!" challenged Toph.

"Are you up for another round?" asked Zuko who had somehow gotten to stand right behind her. Wanda ignored the heat that flooded her body and turned to face him. She crossed her arms across her chest and gave him a defiant stare.

"I'm up for whatever you can throw at me," she challenged with a simper. She hadn't spent all that time chasing Magneto and training for nothing. She had a powerful gift, and even better than that, spent many years learning how to manipulate it to her will. Now was her chance to show off, not only to them but to herself. She only ever used her power to launch attacks on Magneto, who had been the well that her hatred was drawn from. Now she could put it to better use. Zuko gave her a polished smirk then nodded to Toph.

"Alright Toph, do your worst." The small earth bender cracked her knuckles.

"Gladly." Toph didn't waste any time at all. She stomped hard into the earth and drew her hands back in fists, which made the ground around Wanda sink in a perfect circle. Then she shoved her fists forward and covered the hole with a slab of rock. Panic fluttered in Wanda's chest: She _hated_ feeling caged or trapped in any way. Rage bubbled up from her gut and flooded her veins. There was no holding back now. With a cry of fury Wanda filled herself with chaos magic, then used it to pull the rock down around her, shielded only as far out as the top of her skin which was covered with blue hexes. As soon as the rubble cleared she shot out of the hole and slashed both of her hands in the air at Toph. The earth bender brought up slabs of rock by crossing her arms and jerking them upward, but Wanda's hex blasted right through it. Toph wasn't thrown though, her heels dug in and her arms were pulled close to her sides to keep her solid and standing. She made a cutting motion with the outside of the side of her hand towards the earth which sent prongs of stone jetting out from the ground towards Wanda. The mutant used her hexes to shift the rock from her and back towards the bender. Instead of dodging it, Toph held out her hands with her palms out and stopped the stone javelins mid air to turn them into a shield.

"You think you're so tough," teased Toph. "Let's see how you fare when the lights go out." She brought her arms together at the wrists, then pushed down and out with her hands. The earth beneath them shifted enough to spew dust into the air all around them, clouding Wanda's vision to the point where she could only see what was right in front of her. Instantly a blue sphere formed around the Witch, and without a second to spare. It seemed to be bombarded from all sides by rocks and boulders.

"Oh no you don't," hissed Wanda. She was _not _about to be turned into a helpless little girl buy a bit of dust. She took a deep inhale, then sent her power out in a giant wave in every direction around her. Something got hit with it behind her and was thrown a few feet, but that was enough for Wanda. Hex after hex was shot out at Toph, who had brought up an earth shield but was being pushed back with each hex. Soon enough Toph's shield shattered and the next hex hit her full on. She thrust her fists into the air so she was caught by a bed of rock, which she then threw at Wanda. Her mutant powers enabled Wanda to surround the wall with hex magic, then throw it back at Toph with twice as much strength. Toph didn't expect that, and therefore couldn't sense it coming. It hit her hard enough to knock her head over feet until she tumbled at last into the pool that Katara had drawn her water from. The air cleared, and Wanda could see Toph dragging her soggy self from the water.

"Not bad," commended Toph, who held her arms out to either side of her and allowed Katara to pull the water from her hair and clothes. "I have to admit that I'm impressed."

"Thanks, I think," Wanda told her.

"Wow Wanda, you're really good!" squealed Ty Lee. Even Sokka seemed impressed.

"Wonder how you'd do against my element. Think you could take the heat?" dared Zuko. Wanda's eyes fell on him and her stomach clenched. She didn't let it show on her face though, and sneered at him.

"Bring it, hothead," Wanda countered. Zuko laughed and shed his vest as he moved into position. Wanda tried not to stare at his exposed chest, instead focusing on his eyes. He felt strong and confident as he faced off against her. Zuko knew he was very controlled and skilled in his bending. He also knew that there was a small part of him, growing bigger by the day it seemed, that had challenged Wanda for another reason. He wanted to be near her, to interact with her; to have her look at him. Zuko tried to push that part of him away, knowing that Mai was watching them very closely. _That shouldn't be the reason I feel wrong about this_, Zuko thought. _It should be because it __**is**__ wrong._ Again he pushed those thoughts from his mind and focused on Wanda: his opponent. He circled her slowly, his eyes intent on her like she was his prey. Wanda expected him to fire attacks right out of the gate, like Toph had. Instead he took his time, walking foot over foot as they circled each other. He was waiting and watching, patiently provoking her. He smirked at her as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"I don't have all day, Highness," Wanda goaded.

"Then make your move," he retorted. She didn't even wait for him to finish his sentence before she sent a hex bolt sailing towards him. He dodged it easily and continued to wait her out. She sent two more after him, those too were evaded. Wanda felt annoyance building in her, but stifled it because she knew that's exactly what he wanted. She brought the blue glow out to fill her hands as a threat which he answered. He didn't waste any time with the basics. His fists formed a point with the first two fingers on both hands, then a bolt of lightning was shot directly at Wanda. Luckily she had been in battles with the X-men before, and had come up against Storm in her recent quest to level anyone who got between her and Magneto. Even her chaos magic couldn't rival the chaos of mother nature, but she did know how to handle it. She surrounded herself with the blue skin once move and pushed down, forcing herself up and over the majority of the bolt, using the force she commanded to divert its patch away from her in its greed for more energy to transform. The rest of the electricity she absorbed through her hex-covered skin. This made the power inside of her buzz with excitement, attempting to pull away from her and break free. Zuko shot another bolt at her, which she was able to manipulate due to the charge she had already gained from absorbing the first one. This was sent back towards him, directly at his chest. He caught it with the two pointed fingers on his right hand, then brought the energy down over then out of the two pointed fingers on his left hand and back into the sky. Wanda used this moment to throw more hex bolts at him. He punched his fists forward and devoured her magic with his own flames, then used a kick to send more at her. She brought up a blue shield but could feel the heat from it seeping through her witchcraft.

By the time she lowered it, Zuko was on her with a fury of punching fire her way and blocking her own attacks. He was getting closer and closer, yet Wanda refused to budge. Finally he was close enough to her that when she fired hex bolts his wrist hit hers away every time until he grabbed her: Wrong move. Rage consumed her to the point where she didn't need physical manifestations as a vassal for her power. It shot out from her chest and into his, throwing him backwards and onto his back. She thought that she had him and charged forward, only to be greeted by a ring of fire Zuko kicked up with his feet as her swirled expertly back to a standing position.

He was _fast_! And extremely agile. Once more he came at her, throwing flames and deflecting her own movements. Again they broke away from each other and began to circle. His swift and fluid movements reminded her of a panther or tiger; the more she watched him the faster her heart saw fit to beat and it had nothing to do with the exercise she was getting. Just as closely as she was watching him, Zuko was watching her. Her body was tensed, ready for anything. Her eyes took in every aspect around her, not letting anything get the better of her. She fought as if she had been hunted, and in fact she had. He remembered what she had told him of her life in the other world. No wonder she was so skilled, she had to be to survive. She had that in common with almost everyone standing there, watching her face off against him. But still, she felt different to him; more feral. Her eyes bored through him, almost as if she were searching is soul for what his next attack would be.

He was closing the gap between them again, getting closer and closer to her, so close that he could smell her scent like an intoxicating drug. He didn't focus on that, instead kept his mind on besting her with his bending. She wouldn't give him any leeway though, and refused to step where he was attempting to force her to. As strongly as he pushed her that, that's how strongly she pushed back. He admired that about her, even if it was problematic in gaining the upper hand during their battle. His fire attacks continued to be blocked or turned back against him, while her hex bolts were never able to land on him from his ability to move so lithely. Eventually they were head to head, and there was where Wanda wished she had been more open to learning physical combat a little earlier than just this morning. Zuko was able to grab her and flip her over his back, but she shielded herself with magic to keep his flames away from her and landed on her feet. He followed his advantage of physical attacks to push her off balance then swipe her feet out from under her, but from the ground she grabbed his ankles and tackled him down. He lurched in the opposite direction, landing with his palms on the ground in a push-up form with Wanda's head between his hands and her body underneath him. He took the time to smirk at her, which was his downfall. She took that time to blast him with chaos magic so that he landed on his back. She didn't give him time to do any fancy fire bending tricks to get back up, and pinned him to the ground with her knees so that she could sit on his chest. He used his breath to blow fire at her, but she caught it between her hands and surrounded it with blue power, holding it right above his head. Wanda let the fire and her magic fade after a few seconds or lording her win over him, then slid off to sit on the ground next to him.

"Lucky shot," he muttered as he got up, then pulled her to her feet.

"Yeah, right. No luck involved, just skill," she told him with a grin. All of the others were talking excitedly with one another about what they had just seen. For one moment Wanda's gaze met Zuko's and in that moment Zuko knew he was kidding himself by denying that she meant anything to him. The way she looked at him, with crystal blue eyes and a smile gracing her lips, sent ripples across his skin. The ache he had been hiding from all day finally took over with a vengeance, seeping through his chest and into his heart. They shared this one moment, which lasted hardly more than a second, before a cold voice ripped through it and dragged all the warmth from them.

"Yeah, she was really something, wasn't she?" asked a husky voice that belonged to Mai. Zuko looked over to see her glaring daggers towards him. It was no comfort to know that actual daggers littered her body and right now her gaze was searing him all the way through. Zuko sighed then shrugged.

"The rest of you, keep it going, but give Wanda a break. I'll be right back." _Time for damage control,_ he muttered to himself. Wanda sat down next to whoever was sitting out that round and conversed with them about her powers mostly. She watched the others bend or fight as they were best accustomed to, and vowed to ask Ty Lee and Suki for lessons on hand-to-hand combat. He mind and conversations wandered among a number of topics, but all she could think about was where Zuko had gone, and what he was talking to Mai about.


	6. Chapter 6

Zuko followed Mai back into their room and shut the door behind them. "Mai, what's wrong?" he asked. She turned her head sharply to give him yet another death glare.

"Nothing's _wrong_, Zuko," she told him in her forever-bored tone. "It's fine that you spend hours alone with this new girl, then basically undress her with your eyes her in front of our entire group. No, nothing is wrong with that." Zuko sighed and moved to sit next to her on the bed. She crossed her arms and turned her back to him.

"Mai, don't be like this," he begged her softly and slipped his hand into hers. She pulled hers from him and continued to seethe in silence. "You're getting upset over nothing," he told her, but the lie felt bitter on his lips. Luckily Mai didn't detect it. Her shoulders slumped, but she still refused to look at him.

"Zuko, I shouldn't have to fight for my own fiancé. We are engaged. I thought that meant something to you." Her words stung him deeply because of the truth in them. Instead of addressing it, he found himself getting angry.

"It does mean something!" he yelled. "I never once did anything with intent of hurting you Mai. Everything I've done has a reason behind it!"

"Yeah, I get why you ran off with the Avatar. I understand why you left me. That time. But now why does it feel like you've gone again?" Her voice was so void of any emotion on such a charged subject that it made Zuko even more angry.

"You don't even care do you?" he demanded. "When I left it was for not only me, or us, or my family, or even my nation and its people. It was to help restore balance to the world. It was to do what was right. That whole time I did nothing that would have hurt you. All that time spent away from you, I never once gave you any reason to doubt my trust. I stayed true to you!" Zuko had sprung up in the heat of his argument and was now staring down at Mai. She finally turned around to face him. Her expression was still that of bland nonchalance.

"What do you want, a medal?" she asked him with a shrug. "Why do you want me to commend you for something you shouldn't even have to think twice about? You're _supposed_ to love and be true to your fiancé."

"You talk about love like it's something you feel, but I doubt that you feel anything at all!" Zuko fired back. "Would you care if I died? Would you even notice? You're so cold to everyone around you, so how can you expect love in return when you shut everyone out of your whole life?!"

"If you are asking that question, then maybe I don't know you as well as I thought I did," Mai replied coolly. "You change so quickly, I can hardly keep up."

"At least I _do _change. I don't stay the same boring person for all of my life, and I actually live it!"

"I'm sorry if I'm boring you," drawled Mai. "Is that why she intrigues you so much? Because she's new?"

"No, of course not!" yelled Zuko back at her. The very thought that he only saw Wanda as a new toy made him sick.

"Then what is it about her that has you drooling over her?" asked Mai quietly, but there was almost a hint of malice in her voice.

"What, no! Why are you so stuck on this?"

"Because I have _eyes_, Zuko!" Mai yelled at him as she turned to face him. She finally had an emotion on her face. She finally raised her voice. And yet for some reason this made Zuko want to push her even farther. "I can see the way you look at her, and the way she looks at you! Just because you think I'm stupid doesn't mean I actually am." Zuko took a step towards her, but she held her ground and met his eyes evenly. Her fists were clenched into fists at her sides, as if she were preparing to hit him.

"Fine, you want to make a bad guy out of me, then do it Mai! I have never stood in your way for anything, so why should I start now?! I bend over backwards to make you happy, just to make you smile once, but all you ever do is ignore me and keep everything to yourself! You've never let me in, you've never opened up, you've never even expressed yourself! You say you don't know who I am? Well I have no idea who you are, but only because you've never bothered to show me!"

"So that's what it is? She _expresses_ herself better than I do?!" Mai shot back. Zuko yelled his frustration with her, not even having words anymore for how angry she was making him. "Then what is it? What makes her so special?" Mai asked poisonously. Zuko felt about one more demand away from putting his fist through a wall.

"Why the fuck do you keep coming back to her?! She's not here, and you are! She's not the one yelling at me Mai, you are! Don't you dare start blaming shit on her, when you're the one instigating it!"

"Stop it Zuko!" Mai screamed. "Just stop all your bullshit! For once in your life be honest with me! Tell me what it is about her that you are so infatuated with, that's all I'm asking. I just want to know why she's so much better than I am! Tell me why she has earned you love and attention in two days when I spent most of our lives trying and _failing_!? Tell me what it is about her that makes you want her in a way you have never wanted me!"

"Nothing!" Zuko countered back, letting the anger in him take over to help him smother the lie in his eyes. She raised one of her hands to the outer sleeve of the opposite arm, but like lightning Zuko grabbed her wrist before she could reach what he thought would be one of her knives. Mai glared at him rebelliously, though she knew he was stronger than her so she didn't fight his hold. Instead she did something that took Zuko totally by surprise. She leaned up and pushed her lips against his roughly, using her other hand to touch his face. The very instant she did that, Wanda's face exploded in his mind's eye, making Zuko feel guilty and terrible. Mai only kissed him for a few seconds, but when she drew back all the anger had drained from her and she was back to being emotionless. Her eyes regarded him as they would a stranger as she stepped away from him, folding her hands in front of her and looking away.

"I knew it," she said softly and after a moment she looked back to him. "I won't stay where I'm not wanted."

"Mai, wait," Zuko started and put a hand out but Mai shook her head.

"You don't love me Zuko," she told him as she pulled the ring off of her finger and placed it in his open hand. "I don't know if you ever did. And I don't know if you love her, but now you are at least free to explore that option."

"Dammit Mai would you knock it off!?" Zuko told her. Mai held perfectly still, watching him with dull eyes and looking more like a porcelain doll than a human. "You belong here, with us." Mai shook her head.

"I've never belonged with this group. I don't fit here. You do, Zuko. Ty Lee belongs here too, though I'm not sure if she will stay or not." She took a step forward and placed her hand on his cheek, just as she had done before, only this time hesitated. "Goodbye Zuko. I hope you find what you're searching for." She leaned up and kissed his cheek, then disappeared out the door before he could stop her. Zuko could only stand there, his fists clenched and breathing heavily, trying to sort through what had just happened. Before he could stop himself, he threw a punch into the wall hard enough that it left a perfect circular crater then he sat on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. What had just happened?

He and Mai had always been together. It had been the constant in a world of change. He couldn't even remember how they got together, or why, or how they stayed together. Probably out of habit. And he knew he wasn't being fair to Mai, that she deserved more than a man who was intrigued by someone else. It was just shocking to have her walk out like that. It hadn't been what he wanted, not really. Yes, he had feelings for Wanda but he never even entertained the idea of shaming Mai by following through with them. He had given her his word and loyalty along with the ring that he now held in his hand. He looked down at the glinting stone that mocked him trying to imagine what life would be like now. Once Mai made up her mind about something, she never went back on it. He knew she had been serious when she left, and wouldn't come back. That much he was sure of. Now the world felt somewhat off-kilter. He ran her words through his head again, finding even more bitterness in the fact that all of it was truth. Did he love her? He liked to think he did, but even in the beginning she never made him ignite the way he did with Wanda.

"Zuko?" asked a quiet voice accompanied by a knock on the door. Zuko looked up to see Katara hanging in the doorway, hesitant to enter. "Can I come in?" she asked. He shrugged his shoulder at her and went back to staring at the ring in his palm. "Is everything ok?" she asked as she sat on the edge of the bed next to him. Instead of answering he held out his hand and dropped the rejected ring into Katara's hand. She understood the implication. "What happened? She couldn't have just left after one little fight." Zuko shook his head.

"I don't think it was just the one fight," he muttered. "It's been building for a while now, only I guess I never took the time to figure that out." Katara put a hand on his shoulder for comfort, and Zuko shook this off by standing.

"What are you going to do?" Katara asked. He turned and looked down into her wide blue eyes. It was there that he was able to see that she seemed to be just as lost as he was. He wouldn't find any answers there.

"I… I don't know," he admitted. "I guess I just need some time." Katara looked worried, but didn't object. She stood and looked as if she were going to touch him again, then decided against it.

"Take the time you need Zuko. Don't worry about telling the others, I'll take care of it," Katara said quietly. How had she known the shame that was burning him from the inside out? Facing anyone else would have been the death of him; having to admit that Mai had left him would have been humiliating and disgraceful not only because _she_ had left _him_ but also because they had been together for so long that people would assume he wanted to get back with her. He couldn't explain all of that right then, he didn't know if he ever could. He didn't even understand it himself. He looked at Katara, his eyes full of gratitude.

"Thank you, Katara," he whispered roughly. She smiled back at him.

"Don't worry about it. But Zuko?" He looked up at her question, seeing that again concern had taken over her face. "Don't stay away too long. Take the time you need, just promise you will come back as soon as you're ready."

"I will," he promised. Not only for her, but for his nation. While he was gone Uncle Iroh would be able to fill in, but the nation needed _him_ as Fire Lord and he would be that. Just not right then. Not when he felt so conflicted. He wouldn't be any kind of solid leader in this state. Katara smiled her thanks at him, then surprisingly threw her arms around his neck. There was a time when Zuko would have been uncomfortable with this, but he and Katara had healed old wounds. Now their bond of friendship was stronger than ever, and they seemed to be on the same page. "I'll be back before you can even miss me," Zuko told her with a half-smile as she let go and took a step back.

"We'll hold you to that," Katara promised. "I guess I should go. And Zuko? Good luck." She didn't ask him where he was going, for how long, or even why it was so important for him to go. It wasn't just Mai, it was that he had no idea who he was, simply because he had been pretending for so long. She must have sensed that to some degree, which was why she was being so helpful. Before he could even thank her again, she was gone. He wondered how much she had picked up on. More than he had, apparently. He has assumed the role that everyone wanted him to, and for all the wrong reasons. What he really needed was to figure out who he was, why and if he would be willing to fight for it for the rest of his life. Briefly an image of Wanda flashed through his mind but he pushed it away. She would be fine without him. He was leaving her in good hands. Without another though he c=packed a single bag of belongings and left without ever looking back.

[Like it so far? Hate it? Let me know! PLEASE feel free to comment with whatever is on your mind! I love hearing from people who stumble across my stories. Thank you! ]


	7. Chapter 7

[[~*!*~ Warning, major lemon involved in this chapter! ~*!*~]]

Wanda sighed and leaned back against the stone pillar behind her as Iroh finished his story. Everyone had begged him again and again to tell of how he procured the title of Dragon of the West, and finally he chose that night to tell all of them, since they were all together in one sitting. While the others talked excitedly to one another, Wanda sighed and looked up at the night sky. In her world she had earned a name for herself; the Scarlet Witch. While that title came with a lot of negative connotation it also came with respect. Now she was nothing more than an abnormality, a freak even if the others wouldn't say it, in an otherwise power-ruled world. It seemed like she didn't have a place anywhere, in any world. What she would give for a title like Dragon of the West.

Her attention was brought back to the group when they all got up and started heading off to bed. They bid her goodnight, and she nodded back at them in turn. Only when everyone else had departed or was departing did she notice that Iroh remained seated across the fire from her. She looked at him, giving him a questioning glance. Why didn't he leave too?

"The troubled pain has filled your eyes once again," he remarked. Wanda let out a breath then stared deep into the fire. "What is it that concerns you now, Wanda? Are you not happy here?"

"No, no I love it here," Wanda admitted. They had to leave Ember Island and the vacation time the others had been enjoying there and return back to the Fire Nation Palace a week after Zuko had left. They had been there for almost a month, everyone taking turns to show Wanda around, answer her questions or ask some of their own. She had grown quite fond of this palace and the people in it.

"Then what is it that clouds your mind?" Iroh asked her. Wanda always felt most comfortable around Iroh and had formed a special bond with him. If anyone else had been prying she would have snapped at them to mind their own business. With Iroh, she felt he saw into her soul, but even more than that he never judged her harshly for what he saw or what she told him. She met his eyes evenly as she chewed the answer over in her mind.

"I…I don't know where I belong," she admitted. "If I belong anywhere at all." Instead of jumping to reassure her, like she had expected and would have discounted, Iroh remained silent. Instead of speaking, he was listening. This one action made Wanda trust him more than anything else he could have done, so she continued to open up to him. "In my world, I never had any connections but I had power and respect. Here, people seem to like me, but I lack what I had grown used to. There's a part of me that needs the old world, but this new part of me never wants to leave this place and what I've gained. It feels like I have a foot in both worlds, but the worst of both sides. Does it make me selfish for wanting to have both? I know it can happen, like with Aang or Zuko or even you. You all have great power and respect at your disposal, and very strong personal connections to the people around you. I just…" Wanda trailed off, losing her steam. "I just feel like a puzzle with half the pieces missing."

"You are in a very unique predicament, which calls for a very unique set of problems, unlike anyone else has ever had. It does not make you selfish to want what you have known, and what you are learning. But what you ask for is not something that can be given or taken. It must be earned through years or actions. It is no simple feat, especially for a woman who has been born through trials and never given a chance to be exposed to anything else." Wanda sighed and looked away.

"So you're saying it's not in the cards for me," she whispered. "Am I always going to be incomplete?" Suddenly Iroh was next to her, putting his fingers under her chin gently to bring her face up. In his eyes she saw warmth that was fueled from within, an understanding far beyond anything she could ever hope to achieve and acceptance on the deepest level.

"What I am saying, is to follow your own path. Do not compare yourself to those around you, from your past or your present. You have what you need, all around you. You must learn how to take that and turn it into something you want. No one can give you the answers you seek, Wanda, but there are many who are willing to help you try should you give them the chance." He smiled at her, then looked up at the stars. "My, it is getting late for an old man to be up like this," he told her and stood, making a show of stretching and yawning. "I should be off to bed by now. But think on what is laid out in front of you. Maybe your answers aren't as far as you would think."

"Goodnight Uncle," Wanda bid as she leaned back against the pillar. "I'll put the fire out before go," she promised. "And thank you. I really appreciate you listening to me." Iroh smiled at her, then meandered back into the palace to leave her alone with her thoughts.

Maybe he was right, maybe she could make the world she wanted right here. She had what she wanted, and now all she needed was what she had left behind; power. And _that_ she definitely had, but hadn't been needing. Then again, was it really what she needed, or just what she had been taught to need? Having Magneto as a father certainly didn't slick her power-lusting. And her world was in constant turmoil where only the most powerful came out on top, which had been fine for her then, but what of now? The 100 year war had just ended, promising peace for quite some time. The others only trained to stay in shape and remain the Fire Lord's personal escort as well as that of the Avatar. All of the nations had their leaders, and very strong ones at that. Then suddenly her thoughts were wandering down a path very different than she had intended, one she had forbidden herself from wandering: Zuko.

Instantly she frowned from just thinking of him. He had chosen to leave her, hadn't he? That was more than enough. From the beginning she had felt the spark between them, even though she knew he was forbidden. He must have felt something too, from the hours they shared with each other, combining their past lives and growing together over the trials they both had overcome. She had given him so much, but in the end he had left her helpless and floundering in a world she hardly knew. Thank fucking God for Iroh especially, but the others as well. She had been training with Suki and Ty Lee to learn physical combat, and learning to like those girls as a result. Katara had been especially warm and welcoming, and Wanda warmed up to her soon enough. She respected Toph, and it seemed the earth bender had been returning that feeling recently too. The others she was still getting to know, but it was going well. None of them seemed to mind that Mai had left. Katara told her that they had all been expecting it, just not sure how or when it would happen. Now she was being accepted into their group, not only as a replacement but as herself_. I don't need Zuko! _she thought defiantly. And he made his feelings clear when he had left her….them. The group. Wanda shook her head and stood up to bank the fire. Right before she did, something caught her eye. Someone was walking up from the inner court yard… Instantly her heart started hammering and jumping to wild conclusions, hoping… no. It wouldn't be him. It hadn't been him in over a month, it was time she stopped jumping at every new arrival. It wouldn't be him. Still, she held off putting out the fire a bit longer. The newcomer had his hood up, but as soon as he saw her, he dropped it.

_Zuko_ her head whispered, throwing her heart into overdrive. Her chest constricted, as did her throat, and she felt fire flood her veins. For a moment she was drowning in these feelings for him, before her mind was able to regain control, reminding her of the thoughts she had just been mulling over. Instantly anger washed through her.

Zuko saw Wanda standing there, alone before the fire, and instantaneously stopped breathing. He had been preparing himself for this, but didn't know it would be this soon. It was so late he assumed everyone had gone to sleep. Yet here she was, watching him from the firelight…no not watching. Glaring. Zuko continued walking then stopped a few feet from her, neither of them saying anything. She crossed her arms, looking murderous. He dropped his pack by the fire, never letting his eyes wander from hers. He knew she would be angry, she had every right to, but he also didn't regret leaving. He needed the time he took to sort himself out. If he had stayed it would have been a giant mess, and she wouldn't have wanted him as he had been. At least that's what he was telling himself.

"Wanda," he started. Wanda interrupted him by slapping him across the face. He let her do it, not even grimacing at the sting of the contact.

"Don't you dare explain yourself to me," she hissed. "There is _nothing_ that I want to hear from you." She went to hit him again, only this time he caught her by the wrist. His eyes caught hers, making her look at him. Her glare was hateful and seething, while his was determined. He wasn't sorry for what he did, and he wasn't about to apologize. Wanda snarled at him, bringing the blue hex fire to the hand that was held captive by Zuko as a warning. He didn't even flinch, only continued to stare her down.

"Will you listen to me?!" he asked her. As an answer, Wanda shoved him with her chaos magic so that he stumbled backwards and almost into the fire. Zuko brought some of the flames to rest in his palms, though held his ground. "Wanda, I just-" He was cut off by hex bolts being thrown at him. With a frustrated noise Zuko engaged her, melting her hexes with his fire before they had a chance to land. He spun in a circle, with his heel to the ground, to bring up a wall of fire around him. He brought his arms up in sharp angles to pull the fire higher, then crossed one arm over the other to hold it there. "Hear me out!" he yelled to her but Wanda was having none of it. Anger was something she was familiar with, so it was easy to let her old companion back in to fuel her power. Her hex magic doused the fire, not only his but even the one he had drawn from, leaving them both in the dark with only Wanda's glowing hands to be seen. She blasted him backwards into the stone wall of the palace, not waiting for him to get up before she fired more hexes at him. Zuko formed new fire in the palms of his hands, then sent additional flames out towards Wanda which she shielded against. Zuko had had enough and started to fight back.

He walked towards her, each step throwing more and more fire at her, some of which she hexed back towards him. Those he re-bent to regain control of but the chaos-touched fire was harder to control, as if it had a will of its own. He quenched it and drew more of his own to use against the Witch as she advanced on him as well. She went to throw him again, but instead he caught her by the forearm and propelled her over his hip and back into the building behind him. She hit the wall with hex-covered hands, leaving indents in the stone before whirling around to catch some of his fire between her hands. She held it there, feeding it and letting it grow before propelling it back at Zuko. He attempted to bend through it by putting an arm out with his palm forward, fingers curled in to touch the top of his palm, but the chaos had a different effect on it. Instead of moving around his arm and dissipating, it formed like a snake around it and wove up his body. Zuko was able to take control of it, mostly, by bringing it up and shooting it away from him and into the night, but that gave Wanda the opening she was hoping for. She threw her strongest hex yet at him, sending him flying backwards and finally settling in a heap. He stayed there, pretending to be down and out, waiting for her to come close. As he expected, she did.

He sprung up and pushed two bouts of fire at her, one she dodged and the other she shielded against, but it had pushed her up against the wall. She went to hex him again, but before she had the chance he pushed his body against hers and pinned her wrists to the wall above her with one of his hands, the other one holding a flame in his palm.

"Why do you have to be so stubborn?" he demanded angrily. She glowered back at him, trying to push his body off of her by wiggling and shoving as hard as she could, but he was much stronger than she was.

"Because that's who I _am_!" she shot back angrily and head-butted him hard enough to get him to take a step back. She took that step to force him into the side of the wall next to her, but didn't get any farther than that. He turned and picked her up off the ground, throwing her over his back and onto the ground. He took a jump and came down onto her hard. She tried to block but only succeeded in keeping the worst of it out. When the flames ended she kicked up and out, hard. She caught him in the stomach which made him back off of her just enough for her to leap to her feet and throw a hex-enhanced punch his way. He deflected that one and the next one, then grabbed her by the side of the neck and pushed her back into the corner she had been before, his other hand moving swiftly and deftly to hold both of her wrists above her once again. He hovered his thumb over her throat, pushing just enough pressure to make her pause in her movement. Again their eyes met, both of them filled with fire. Both of them were breathing heavily, filling the silence of the night with their gasping. "I hate you," she spat at him acidly. Zuko looked into her eyes for a moment longer, then smirked.

"Liar," he accused before he pushed his lips roughly to hers. At first she fought him, throwing her body against his in vain. Eventually she stopped fighting and melted into it. The spark that had been burning in Zuko since the first night he saw her ignited in an explosion inside of his chest, pumping what felt like lava through his whole body. Wanda felt something inside of her thaw out and spread across her person. It took over her mind and rooted itself in her chest and she knew that no matter what happened to her she would never be rid of this feeling. It made the world seem distant and her mind misted over with this new sensation. It burned like dry ice, cooling and singeing at the same time. Zuko slid his hand up from her neck to her face, putting his thumb on one side of her jaw and his fingers on the other so he could effectively grab her and deepen the kiss. Wanda responded instantly to this action and let him do it compliantly for a minute before she pulled her hands down and shoved hard against his chest. He took a step back, and she shoved him again until it was him against the wall. He looked at her strangely for a minute, then she pushed her body against his and shoved her lips against his mouth. She was rough, and fiery and fierce. She was everything he was searching for.

He pulled her too him forcefully, running one hand up her back while the other one pulled her arm around his neck and held it there. She bit his lower lip and he let out a groan, which brought out a giggle from her. Zuko pulled his lips from her face, turning instead to bite the base of her neck. Wanda tilted her head back, enjoying it for a moment before Zuko grabbed her by the hips, turned then forced her against the wall high enough that she had to wrap her legs around his waist. He held her by one hand on the bottom of her upper thigh and the other at the top of the outside of her ribcage, aggressively moving both hands where he thought she would object to. When she didn't he pulled her off of the wall and walked with her entwined around him all the way through the doors, up the stairs and down the halls to his room. It was a good thing he knew where it was by heart, as she served as a delicious distraction. Her fingers clawed through his hair viciously while her teeth clamped down on any of his flesh they could find purchase on.

He slammed her into several walls on their journey through the halls, eventually crashing through his door. He kicked it closed behind him before throwing her onto his bed, taking a few seconds to shoot fire to the wicks of half the candles that surrounded his room for lighting, then following quickly after her to the bed. One of his hands slithered up under her top, making her hiss in his ear. She tugged at his clothes, but didn't have the patience he seemed to have. Instead she covered her hands with hexes and pulled them off that way, throwing the patches of cloth aside without another thought.

"I _liked _those," Zuko growled into her ear, making her smirk.

"Not anymore," she remarked. Zuko took this as an invitation to do the same to hers, choosing to bite the buttons that held her top together away from their bindings before tossing her shirt with his somewhere on the floor then moved on to use heat-augmented hands to burn through the black pants she was wearing. Her bra he was able to pull off of her with one swift tug, exposing her chest to him in the candle-lit room. His teeth nicked down her neck to her chest, finding a resting point on the peak of her breast while one of his hands found the other. Wanda arched her back and dug her nails down his spine in reaction to this, her free arm swinging up so that her left hand could grab his headboard and dig into the wood that made up the post. Zuko used his right hand to find her mouth and slip two of his fingers in, which she sucked on eagerly. He let her for a minute, then pulled them away to replace them on the lower section of her body, swirling circles on the exposed and sensitive folds of her clit. A high pitched exhale came from Wanda and her eyes flew open at this experience. Something was there in her mind, a person that was shrouded in shadows so that her mind wouldn't recognize it. If she pushed hard on it, she would be able to find who it was, but the emotions attached to this person were ugly and demeaning and she had much better things to focus at the time. Without another thought she shoved the person from her mind and focused on one thing. "Zuko," she breathed. His name on her lips sent ripples across his skin. He stopped just long enough for his face to hover over hears, stealing kisses as he saw fit.

"Have you done this before?" he asked her, wondering how gentle he should be with her. Again something repulsive reared up inside of her suppressed memory, but she refused to acknowledge what it was. She didn't know how or with whom, but she knew that she had been with a man before. Mutely she nodded, and Zuko cast her a wicked grin. "Good." With that he plunged the two fingers she had sucked on deep into the opening between her legs, making her back arch even higher and a cry claw its way from her throat. Her mouth clamped down hard on his shoulder, making him groan as well which pleased her. Before her mind could clear, one of his hands was pushing her knee to the bed, opening her legs even wider. His fingers withdrew and he held himself over her, one hand on either side of her head. One of them went to twist his fingers through hers, pushing their grasp into the bed at the same time that he pushed himself into her. They both gasped at the same time, Wanda using her free hand to run her claws down his back and Zuko groaned in reply. Her legs wrapped around him, allowing him even more access to her. Again she bit him as his pace picked up, this time drawing blood. Without her notice, her hands had started glowing blue again as her hexes leaked out. Neither of them took notice until Zuko felt a cooling then heating feeling pooling across his back where her hand was, and up his fist and arm that held her other hand. "Wanda," he whispered roughly but she wasn't listening. The farther he pushed her into pleasure, the more that same feeling echoed across her into her magic and seeped into him. His whole body erupted in goosebumps as her pleasure flooded through him. "Oh, Wanda," he breathed and shut his eyes.

Her nails raked across his skin, but even as they did he healed instantly through her magic that responded to what she was feeling. Wanda's eyes flew open as he hit a spot inside of her that caused her whole body to clench tightly in waves or pressure and pleasure. She called out his name passionately, but Zuko was already lost in the bliss her magic was running through his body. Wave after wave ran through Wanda like a chain reaction, causing her magic to run rampant not only on Zuko but through the room, exploding the candles and furniture as it ran through them. Zuko grew close to his own detonation, and let his Witch know by the tone he used when he called her name. Without a seconds hesitation she pulled herself to him, then pushed hard with her body and magic until he was underneath her and she kneeled on top of him, rocking her hips deeply into his body. Her hands grasped the top of his headboard so that she leaned over him, giving him full view of her. Her magic still resonated through him, and she tapped into that to know exactly what he was feeling. As he grew closer and closer, she in turn moved with more fluidity and deeper thrusts. One of Zuko's hands bunched into a fist, balling up the sheets in his grasp when his whole body became rigid. Right at the point, Wanda reached hers at the same time through the magic she was using, making her cry out louder than ever and Zuko growl her name.

She eased herself off of him to lay beside him, and he turned to look at her. They gasped in air together, Zuko trailing his fingertips across her skin. Her blue eyes latched onto his, and they both smiled. Wanda moved forward enough to plant a soft, sweet kiss on his lips that was a beautiful contrast to all of the previous roughness before it. He responded by putting a gentle hand to the side of her face so he could cup it in his palm. She sighed happily when they parted again, laying her head on his chest when he turned to lie on his back. Neither of them broke the silence that had comfortably settled on the room for a long time, content in running gentle fingertips across the other's body, exploring through the darkness. When she could feel herself drifting off to sleep, she smiled again to herself.

"Welcome home, Fire Lord."


	8. Chapter 8

Wanda awoke to the sun streaming in through curtains, dripping across the room and silk sheets. She yawned and stretched deeply, then was surprised by a deep chuckle to her left. With a start she turned around, to be face to face with Zuko. Without any further provocation her heart jumped into her throat, making it terribly difficult to breathe. Slowly the choke-hold released off of her mind and this allowed the memories from the previous night to trickle in. Leisurely a smile spread across Wanda's face as she turned into him, laying her head on his shoulder to nick the flesh of his neck playfully with her teeth.

"Hey!" he protested, but his tone was soft. "It's unbecoming of a Fire Lord to be sporting hickies." Wanda laughed, but released him.

"We slept in," she observed in a tone that told just how much she didn't care.

"Oh no, I'm so devastated," Zuko replied with a smirk.

"Smartass," Wanda commented. Again a laugh came deep from Zuko's chest and his fingers traces lazy circles across the bared skin of her back.

"I suppose we should be getting up, and getting you some new clothes," Zuko told her. She cast her glances down to the floor where the scraps of their clothes littered the floor. A pang of sorrow swept through her; those were the last remnants of the world she left behind. She knew she would never go back, not that she knew how to if she ever even wanted to, but still wanted to hang on to something of it. With a sigh she pushed those thoughts away from her.

"I guess I should be getting a new wardrobe," she admitted and sat up, allowing the silk sheets to pool around her waist. Zuko kissed up her back to her neck before circling his arms around her. "Well if you keep that up I won't get anything done," she chided. He planted a few more kisses up her neck to her cheek then on her lips, which sent ripples across her skin. Eventually he pulled away from her, though slowly as if he regretted it as much as she did.

"I really should get going. I'm already behind on my schedule," he lamented. Then he stood to rummage through broken drawers for new clothing while Wanda enjoyed the view.

"I'm so sorry to have kept you from such important and pressing matters," she mused with her eyes clinging to him like glue. He stopped after finding and putting on pants to come and place more kisses on her lips, then down her neck to her chest. She leaned back on her hands and tilter her head back.

"Don't be," he whispered into her flesh before pulling away. Both of his hands came up to hold her face, gentle fingers pressing into the soft tissue of the back of her neck beneath her skull. He kissed her long and slow, telling her that time meant nothing to him compared to her. When he did eventually pull away they both were smiling happily. "You can wear this long enough to get you down to the fitting rooms, you know where they are?" he asked her while laying out some of his clothes that could be construed as fitting for her from a distance if she arranged them right. She nodded and held the clothes up, trying to make them work. "The tailors there can help you from there. Will I see you at lunch?" he asked.

"Wouldn't miss is for the world," she promised. When Zuko was fully dressed and presentable, he came back to her, pulling her half-dressed form to his body and kissed her one last time.

"See you there," he murmured softly. She felt him pull away and watched him hesitate once more at the door before disappearing to take care of his tasks, which he had been absent from for too long. She pulled the clothes on as best as she could, hoping no one would catch her on her way to get new ones. Luckily no one did, but the tailors smiled from beneath their hands, laughing softly to themselves and each other at her predicament. Wanda scowled at them but said nothing, knowing anything she said would just make it worse. Eventually she left wearing one outfit, two more in her arms and the promise of more before the week was out.

It was the first time she had ever walked the halls herself, so she took the time to admire the artistry in absolutely every square inch. Despite the history of those who had previously ruled here that she was now aware of, Wanda couldn't help but be in awe of the palace. It was beautiful, fascinating in an inspiring way. She could live here her whole life and never get used to it, especially after living at the shack of a house the Brotherhood house was. Too soon she arrived at the terrace where people were settling down for their noon meal and picked a spot between Suki and Toph. She wasn't sure Zuko wanted them public just yet, if there even was a 'them' to be public about. There was still too much for them to talk about in private before bringing attention to themselves and a little distance wouldn't hurt. No if only she could keep herself from staring at him as hungrily as he was staring at her…. He had never seen Wanda in Fire Nation clothing. The red tight cloth swung across one shoulder to wrap tightly around the top of her torso, exposing her mid drift with a curved hip-hugging sash that trailed to her feet in the back, but trailed upwards to a short cut in the front. It was enough to make his blood pound in his head.

"Where have you been all day Wanda?" asked a chipper Aang which caught her off guard. Wanda supposed they had already drilled Zuko on his absence for the last month while she had been getting clothing.

"Yeah, you were supposed to join us for our training," protested Suki. Wanda pulled out the blank face she always used when being questioned on things she didn't want to share the answer to, careful to stay perfectly neutral.

"I was trying to find my way around, and instead found myself exploring things I hadn't intended," she explained. She was careful to keep her eyes down on the food she was pushing onto her plate from the nearest dish and her voice even. A quick glance at the reflection from her glass let her peek at Zuko's face, and he was perfectly neutral as well, giving away nothing. Of course he was good at this, he was a ruler and thus a politician. Maybe not as greasy a title as the one back home, but still not pure. Wanda thought she had gotten away with her spin on words until she saw Toph's fox-like grin. _Shit_, Wanda thought to herself. Toph could tell when someone was lying. While Wanda hadn't _really_ lied, her heart was still pounding in her head just waiting for someone to call her out. She knew Toph would be asking questions soon, but luckily the earth bender had the decency to not do so in public. Wanda was sure getting to love that little rock thrower. Right when she was sure other people were going to ask more questions of where she'd been, palace servants announced newcomers that made Zuko's face frown instantly.

"Fire Lord Zuko and valued royal guests, introducing his highness's new chamber maids for inspection." Zuko scowled deeply at the servant who announced the arrival of three beautiful young women who were clad in basically nothing. The term 'chamber maid' was one his father and previous Fire Lords had used semantically for hired women. As soon as Zuko had taken the throne, one of the first things he had done was grant freedom and a life of means to all the sex slaves that were still around and banned any future practice of paying young women for sexual endeavors. Not only everyone in the palace, but everyone in the Fire Nation was aware of this law which made Zuko wonder what the hell was going on. There was one strikingly beautiful pale woman in the lead with two similar women behind her, and they all kneeled at the foot of the table before Zuko and his group. He got up and went to them, bidding them to stand as he did.

"Is not a woman's place on her knees, before a man?" purred a velvet voice that came from the woman in front of the other two. Her head was still bowed, allowing curtains of ebony locks to cascade down her back and shoulders, pooling on the tile before her. Zuko growled deeply at her remark.

"No, it's not," he commented darkly and offered her a hand up. "This is not my father's realm. You can aspire to be anything you want to be, you don't have to subject yourself like this anymore, not to anyone. The woman looked up and placed a delicate hand in his, allowing him to help her stand and the other two women followed in suit. They all wore similar clothing, a blue breast band with sparkling gems embedded in swirling patterns that had billowing see-through sleeves that attached at the wrist by a string of diamonds, while a short skirt of the same periwinkle blue hugged the woman's curves provocatively, seen through more wispy see-though material the draped down in strips from the hips to the ankles. "What is your name?" Zuko asked the woman whose hand he still held. It was dainty and fragile, though seemed strong to him like a warrior's. The woman looked up into his eyes, blinding him with her own ice-blue gaze and brilliant smile. There was something sharp about it though, something that ran a red flag up I his mind. After a second he realized what it was and stiffened. It reminded him of Azula's.

"I am flattered, Fire Lord Zuko, to even have your attention. You needn't learn my name if it displeases you. You have so much more to worry about, I'm only here to lessen the stress of the world on such strong shoulders." Her hands slid up his arm to his shoulders before he could take a step back and shake her off. Wanda was scowling ferociously at the woman, but by now a dangerous silence had fallen over everyone in the room as they watched the scene unfold before them.

"No, I told you; women are free and equal now. You don't need to submit yourself to this type of treatment," his eyes glanced up into those of the two women behind her. "Any of you." The two behind her wouldn't meet his eyes, but he woman in front couldn't seem to pull her icy gaze from him.

"All women are free?" she inquired. Her voice was like that of a snake in Zuko's ears, making his blood run cold. Her eyes latched onto his, now staring him down. The evil in her smile hadn't receded; in fact the opposite. It was spreading. "Well, not all women." Zuko narrowed his eyes at her.

"What do you mean? Who are you?" he demanded.

"My name is Anukrei, am I not in your father's files? Hm, probably not. Too dangerous, I suppose. Someone like you might stumble over them accidentally." Tension filled Zuko, the hair prickling on the back of his neck. "These are my Sisters; Zierya and Akira." The two women bobbed their heads when mentioned, but never looked up.

"What is your purpose here, Anukrei?" Zuko asked through clenched teeth.

"You look so sexy when you're worried." She told him and took one more step towards him. "Did you know, your previous statement about women isn't all true? There are still some who live in a different world, they don't share yours. They are loyal to a different time," Anukrei told him in a tone as if it made no consequence, but her eyes were frost-biting their way through to his core, freezing him where he stood. "Some would agree, wouldn't you Akira? Zierya? I bet you others would too, no one here. But maybe someone else you know?" She took another step forward to put a hand on his chest and lowered her eyelashes, still looking at him with dangerous poison in her tone. "Ursa?" In the one name, the spell she had been weaving on Zuko shattered into a million pieces. Flames exploded from both of his palms and he advanced on Anukrei with murder in his eyes. Objecting shouts from Aang and Katara went unheard by him as he closed the gap between Anukrei and himself. Wanda watched, muted and paralyzed by horror, as Anukrei confidently took a stance, spinning her forearms in a tight half circle until they crossed at the mid section. This succeeded in not sucking the air away from Zuko and extinguishing his flames.

"Did she just..?"

"No way."

"That's not possible," the others exclaimed around Wanda. Hadn't she been told that Aang was the last of his kind? The only person in this entire world who could do what Anukrei had just done? She had even stopped Zuko in his tracks.

"Oh yes, that. I suppose that is a fun party trick if you hadn't seen it before. If you liked that, you just _love_ what comes next," Anukrei said with a terrible sneer. She closed the gap between her and Zuko, pushing her painted lips to his as her hands ran up his torso. Before he could do anything, one of her hands snaked up and made a pulling motion back towards Anukrei, pulling her fingers into a point as the hand retreated backwards. She took a step back and allowed the air to swirl in her hand as Zuko gasped like the wind had been knocked out of him, falling to his knees with his hands clutching his chest.

"Zuko!" Wanda screamed. Blue hex magic blazed to life in her fists, traveling up her arms as far as her elbows in her fear and rage. That caught Anukrei's attention.

"That's a new trick," she mused with wide eyes. She then pulled the breath she had retracted from Zuko's lungs into a dagger-like form, blowing softly on the tip of it with a misted breath. The wind-made blade froze over like it had been iced, and she plunged it deep into Zuko's side. Without another word she opened her hand, releasing her blade into thin air before twirling to the side to kick up enough wind that everyone was knocked to their feet. Everyone except Wanda and Toph. Wanda had brought up her shield and Toph had dug her heels in as soon as she felt what Anukrei was doing. The supposed air bender smirked at them once running seductive fingers over Zuko's face and through his hair, before hoisting him up with surprising strength to take with her as she jumped off the terrace and into the sky, letting the wispy pieces of cloth serve as a mode of gliding for her and her sisters to the grounds below them.

"I'm going after them!" Wanda shouted to Toph.

"What am I supposed to do, I can't see them anymore!" Toph protested. Wanda grabbed her by the wrist and took off towards the fading shapes. Katara took a running start at the same edge that Anukrei had just jumped off, pulling her hands into the air then shoving them out to form an ice bridge before her which she took Suki and Sokka on. Aang was already airborne.

"You can see me, and I can see them!" Wanda told her and with that pulled Toph close and pushed them both off of the terrace. Toph brought the earth up to meet them, then made long strides that propelled them very quickly in pursuit of their targets. "Keep heading this direction, we're right on course!" Wanda told Toph who picked up speed.

"The city is coming up," Toph told her, and Wanda could then see it.

"Yeah, they just went into it. Trying to blend in, I think." Wanda recalled their clothing, if she could even call the scant pieces of fabric that, and smirked. "They might have a pretty hard time with that." Toph propelled them over the wall around the city and landed them safely in the square, then hunkered down with her fingers to the ground.

"There's too many people, I can't find them!" she told Wanda. They started moving in the direction Wanda had seen them go, running as fast as they could through the crowded streets, but they were getting nowhere. There were too many people, and Wanda had zero patience. With a snarl she brought up both of her hands and threw a hex out in two parallel lines as far as she could, then threw her hands out to either side of her. The hex pitched everyone to either side of the street, making a perfect line to follow. "That's helpful," Toph said with a smirk and they continued running.

"There!" Wanda said, spotting a flash of raven hair darting around a corner. Toph stomped her foot, making the ground in the alley shoot straight up, sending one of the women sprawling into the streets. It wasn't Anukrei, but it was one of her 'Sisters.' Wanda hexed her down against she ground, holding her there until Toph could put rock shackles on her. "Where'd Anukrei go?!" demanded Wanda in a dark voice. The woman Anukrei had identified as Zierya grinned wickedly.

"You will never find her. She is the wind."

"Lucky for us, we have someone with the same thing," Wanda hissed as she saw Aang flying over them. "We'll find her, don't you worry about that. What does she want?"

"To see the Fire Lord on his throne, over a thriving land of course. What else?" Zierya told her with a sneer.

"Yeah right," Toph scoffed. Wanda brought her chaos magic out and held a glowing hand over Zierya's face.

"Tell me the truth and tell it fast," she growled. Zierya's eyes widened in fright, but still she said nothing. Wanda's temper got the better of her and she let loose a hex bolt right at the woman at point blank range, pushing her deep into the ground and knocking her unconscious.

"Well _that_ was helpful," scorned Toph. Wanda snarled in reply. "We should take her back to the palace, and hope the others had better luck."

"You can, I'm still going to hunt Anukrei," Wanda said.

"I can't take her by myself, she has at least a foot on me and is dead weight thanks to you. You have to help me," Toph pointed out. Wanda hesitated for a moment, still seething, before she realized Toph was right.

"Fine. But when we drop her off, the second she touches the palace floor I'm leaving again," Wanda warned.

"Fine by me, now let's go." Wanda took Zierya into her grasp, being none too friendly about it either, and allowed the earth bender to life them up and start the journey back to the palace. Wanda would find Anukrei, and recover Zuko, if it was the last thing she did. No way did she come to another world and start to find what she had been searching for, just to lose it. She was no powerless little girl. But neither did she know this world very well and was at a distinct disadvantage, especially since the others of the group seemed just as surprised by Anukrei's air bending as she had. She let the flame reignite in her chest, the fuel that had kept her so feared in her own world. Just as she had hunted Magneto, she was once again on a trail and out for blood.


	9. Chapter 9

Zuko felt the deep blaze of the wound from his side, which was severe enough to make his vision swim before him and his knees weak. Still, he fought as he was pulled from the terrace and into the city. He made every step of the way a burden on Anukrei until she was forced to pull the air from his lungs once more to force his mild compliance. His wound bled heavily, but Anukrei was able to whisk each droplet of blood away so as not to leave a trail behind them. Zuko's hand snaked out to grab her, but it was slicked with his blood and simply smeared over her ivory skin before she was able to pull from his grasp.

"Don't waste your energy, my little flame," she purred in a deep voice. "I wouldn't want you to overexert yourself." Zuko growled back at her, but wasn't given enough time to voice a reply before she brought up a cyclone of wind around them, blinding them from the outside world and Zuko from seeing where she was taking them. There was a moment of falter as ice daggers attempted to penetrate their vortex, obviously from Katara, but Anukrei pushed back with a sharp gesture from her free arm. This ended in Katara being forced to the ground while Anukrei and her wounded captive soared even farther out of reach. They spent mere moments like this before plummeting deep into the earth, which closed over them. Earth benders? Here in the fire city? While the nations were at peace or in peace talks, the Fire Nation was still almost completely made up of fire benders, with Zuko's company exempted.

"What-" he started to ask, but then was out cold due to a damp cloth that was forced to his face.

When he awoke again, it was in a chamber very much like the ones that were kept at the Boiling Rock, a freezer which would impede his bending. His hands were shackled at the wrist above him, and heavy chains were draped around his ankles as well. Surprisingly, though, the wound in his side had been completely healed. Water benders too? Groggily his vision cleared even further, which revealed a fur-coated Anukrei sitting on a bench across from him, watching him intently. He scowled at her.

"Oh, good, you're awake again. I was starting to worry about you," she told him silkily.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" he demanded of her angrily. "Who are you, and what do you know about my mother?" Anukrei rolled her eyes, but then her stare was again glued onto him.

"You ask far too many questions. This would all be over much quicker if you weren't so fired up all the time," she cooed. Then she stood and strode over to him, allowing her dark ebony hair to drip into her face. Soon she was close enough to reach out a hand, pull a glove off, and run delicate fingers up the section of his chest that was exposed. Zuko held firm, staring her down with no reaction to her movements. "My, aren't we stubborn?" she said fondly and took a step closer. "All in due time, my little flame." Zuko breathed in the crisp air deep into his stomach then attempted to use his fire breath to burn her, but it only came out as heated air because of his containment. "I do love a man with a bit of a spark in him," Anukrei confided in him with a smirk, then pressed her body against his. "But you really should learn to control that temper of yours. It might get you into trouble some day."

"What do you know of Ursa?" he commanded again.

"Oh. Her." Anukrei seemed annoyed that he chose this to focus on. "You don't have to worry about her, she doesn't even know you're here, so don't get any idea about someone coming to release you. You're mine, dear one."

"She's here?" Zuko asked, latching on to the hope that his life-long search might be yielding some answers. But where was 'here' anyways? Who was Anukrei, and why hadn't she surfaced prior to this? How had the world been blind to a second air bender?

"Of course she's here," Anukrei scoffed and took a single step back. "Where else would the previous Fire Lord have entrusted her safekeeping? But now I suppose that you're the new Fire Lord, our standing orders will be changed a bit."

"Take me to her, now," Zuko ordered. Anukrei made _tsk tsk_ noised at him and shook her head.

"You're in no shape to be going anywhere just now, upset as you are. I think we should wait until you, _cool down_ a bit, hm?" The ungloved hand went up to stroke his face, which he cringed away from. She withdrew her hand and took a step back, replacing her glove while looking him over meaningfully. "You will learn better behavior before long, my little flame. I can promise that."

"Release me! Take me to Ursa!" Zuko yelled as Anukrei turned and left, letting the ring of the iron door answer for her.

Suki's hands were flashing faster and faster, forcing her opponent to cease any offensive attacks and default to defensive maneuvers to avoid being cut by her fan. Step after step Suki advanced, until finally Wanda was able to step back enough to bring her foot up into a kick that sent Suki flying several feet. "Wanda!" shouted Sokka in reprimand as he ran to Suki's side. He shot an angry glare at Wanda while helping Suki up, who was rubbing her jaw. Wanda's hands were still closed into fists, and she was breathing heavily but not from the exertion. It was building inside of her again, every passing minute that Zuko wasn't found, every second that her hands weren't around Anukrei's throat, her hate-fire was burning deeper and deeper into her. "What were you thinking?!" demanded Sokka again as Suki stood. Wanda didn't answer. "We're not trying to kill each other here!"

"No, it's ok Sokka," Suki was saying. Her eyes found Wanda's, and instead of anger or hurt from being hit so hard in a practice round, all Wanda found in Suki's eyes was pity. That only fueled Wanda's anger even more. "I know-"

"What?!" Wanda cut her off. "What do you know? That _we_ should be the ones out there looking for him, not some pompous dicks who don't know anything? Or that we shouldn't have even allowed him to be taken in the first place?!"

"Wanda," stated Katara, who had walked up from watching the match.

"Don't," Wanda warned angrily. "Don't you dare tell me everything is going to be ok. We can't know that, unless we are the ones making sure of it."

"We had to let the palace guards do a sweep of the city," Katara told her softly. "There's no way we could have covered it all by ourselves, and we need to be here in the palace to guard Zierya until she's awake, and in case of attack while the Fire Lord is gone."

"I don't need to be!" shouted Wanda. "I have no reason to be here! I should be out there, looking for him! Not here, fucking around with play time and doing _nothing_!" Unbeknownst to Wanda, a blue fire was starting to play around the clenched knuckles of her fists.

"I know, Wanda, but no one could be spared to guard you as well. We put as many men as we could into the search, while still keeping just enough to help guard the palace and Zierya," Suki said gently. Wanda whirled to face her.

"That's not good enough! For all we know, Anukrei has killed him by now and those sluggish bastard guards wouldn't even care."

"And you kicking the shit outta Suki helps us how?" asked a sour voice from Wanda's left as Toph leaned against a wall. "Unless Suki spit in your breakfast this morning, she's not what you're angry at."

"I know that you're upset that Zuko's gone," started Katara but Wanda shook her head.

"Zuko can take care of himself," Wanda muttered. She knew Zuko was a great fighter and wouldn't take shit from anyone, even that air bending bitch.

"So what are you angry about?" asked Sokka. Wanda clenched her teeth while her hex flames expanding to envelope her wrists and climb up her arms.

"Everything," Wanda spat bitterly. "Anger is my go-to, it's just what I do."

"No," Katara said, cocking her head to one side. "This is different. Something really is getting under your skin. What's the matter Wanda? What's wrong?"

"Zuko's been stabbed and kidnapped by some bitch that no one knows anything about, what that doesn't count? Or did you just forget?" asked Wanda heatedly.

"Yeah, I can see why that would be upsetting, but you barely even know him. He's been gone almost as long as you've been here, so that's not what's upsetting you," observed Suki. "At least not directly. Just tell us what's wrong Wanda," she pushed.

"Nothing!" yelled Wanda and the hexes around her started shifting into deeper blues with sparks of black while expanding even farther across her body.

"It's obviously something, and something big," observed Toph coolly. "Just tell us what it is."

"It's _**me**__!_" shouted Wanda, which resulted in the hexes combusting into a pillar of fire with her at the center, blowing winds from the force of the attack in all directions. The others had to shield themselves momentarily until it passed, and when it did they saw Wanda on her knees with her hands to her face. Katara put a soft hand on Wanda's shoulder, then kneeled beside her. Wanda dropped her hands, staring bitterly down at the ground. "I feel so useless. I just don't understand how I can have all of this power, this chaos magic coursing through me, ready to be used at any moment against any adversary, and yet I'm so useless. How is it that I have enough power to transfer myself into a different world, but I can't help the one person I really want to? I have all this power, and I can't do anything with it. It's not right!" Katara put her arm around Wanda, and for once the Witch let it happen without shaking it off or turning away.

"We all feel pretty useless about now," Katara told her. "But we have to hang in there. When the time for action comes, we will be waiting. When we are needed, we will be ready. And then nothing, and no one, will be able to stop us."


	10. Chapter 10

Zuko felt the earth-quaking shivers ripping through not only his flesh, but the inside of his body as well. He had lost track of how long he had been in this chamber, but it had been long enough for him to lose feeling in almost everything. His thoughts were getting sluggish as well and he had to force himself to focus on what was happening. He continued to circle back to one thought; Anukrei knew where his mother was. He had never been this close to finding her before, of finding out what had happened to her. He expected her to step into the light when he father was put in life imprisonment and he took the throne, but now that he knew she was being held here it made sense that she didn't simply because she couldn't. Did she even know about this shift in leaders? Would she be proud of him? Would she want to see his father and Azula? Would she be disappointed in Zuko for locking them away? So many questions flooded through him, and he focused on them to stay alive as the cold began to descend into his lungs, heart and mind. The sound of an iron door penetrated his haze, but at this point he couldn't even look up.

"Feeling better?" asked a familiar chime and Zuko knew Anukrei was back. It took him several moments before he realized she was touching him; his face, arms then chest. He tried to protest, but could no longer cause the vibrations needed in his throat. Spindly delicate fingers grasped him on either side of his face, making him face her before she pushed her lips to his. The first feeling that ran through him was revulsion. He wanted to jerk away from her and spit her taste off of his mouth, but his body wouldn't even move when he told it to. Then the heat from her mouth spread to his lips and for one moment he relished it in the freezing room. Maybe he could make this work to his favor. She obviously had some sort of sexual desire for him, which she had made evident from the first second he encountered her. While she was strikingly beautiful, more so than any woman he had ever seen, he still felt no desire for her…..but. But, if he could force himself to show something, maybe she would give him what he wanted. Once he knew all he needed to about his mother, he would make his escape. No walls could ever hold him for very long, and hers were no exception. For a brief moment Wanda's face flashed in his mind's eye, and his stomach plummeted.

This would be harder than he thought….

"Much better," Anukrei approved when she pulled away from him. A deft hand went to fiddle with the shackles at his feet first, then his wrists. Every muscle felt frozen in place as Zuko stumbled forward, gripping Anukrei in order to remain partially vertical. She let out a throaty laugh, though pulled him to his feet and led him from the cooler. Once outside, a thick blanket was draped over him and he was ushered into the wooden door directly across from the iron one they had just left behind. There was a bed inside, which Anukrei deposited him on then disappeared, reappearing with hot towels that she arranged across his body. "Now, don't go doing anything stupid, or else I'll just have to place you right back in there," she warned him. As much as Zuko wanted to throw all of his fire at her, he knew that would be counterproductive to his cause. Finally Zuko sat up, and was promptly handed a cup of steaming tea. After one sip Zuko couldn't help it, he smirked. It reminded him of Uncle. His Uncle would have been offended at this single cup as it would never measure up to his standards. A pang of guilt spread through Zuko as he thought about how his Uncle must again be assuming the throne, so soon after Zuko had disappeared for so long. Some Fire Lord he was. He couldn't even rule two consecutive days.

"W-Where am I?" Zuko stuttered out before taking another long drink from his cup of would-be tea. Anukrei came to sit next to him on the bed when he spoke.

"In a place of shadows and secrets," Anukrei told him with a wicked grin. Zuko had to suppress the urge to choke her. He kept his face perfectly smooth and passive though, revealing nothing of his thoughts underneath.

"How is it that you can air bend?" he asked her. Better to start with the simple questions and work up to his mother. Anukrei watched him with her crystal gaze for a moment then shrugged. It was clear she thought he was going nowhere anyways.

"My mother was an air bender," she said simply.

"How is that possible? All of the Air Nomads were killed," Zuko observed. Darkness flashed through Anukrei's eyes, a depth of hatred he hadn't imagined possible in her otherwise beautiful face. It was swept away quickly, replaced by her normal coy grin, but Zuko had seen her moment of pain.

"Yes, so the world assumed. Your people made very quick work of them, I hear." She meant her tone to be light and detached, but he could sense the bitterness that was hidden in the words. He didn't say anything though, so she continued. "My great-great grandmother escaped the Fire Nation's execution of her people, not through being intelligent or secretive, but only curious. She was called the Wanderer. Only twelve years old, and could never stay in one place for longer than a few seconds. As luck would have it, she was out wandering when the Fire Nation descended upon her Air Temple. Since there was no one to call her back, she lost track of time and meandered farther and farther away, so by the time she returned, everyone was either dead or had left in their victory. Word reached her of what had happened, of how the air-benders were being hunted, so she hid. She covered her tattoos and lived the life she had been meant to, wandering from place to place. Eventually she ended up picking up her would-be husband on the road, and they traveled together as wanders, both being left homeless by the Fire Nation. Their second child turned out to be an air-bender like his mom, but they didn't tattoo him, and taught him to hide his bending. Their son and my great grandfather ended up in a small town almost off the map, where he sired the next air bender, my grandmother and she birthed the next air bender which was my father. He was the weak link in their hidden chain, as he was found out by the previous Fire Lord Ozai, your father. Instead of exterminating him, Ozai enlisted him. My father lived and died in servitude of yours, and I was brought into the world from birth, handed down the title from my father since I was his one and only air bending offspring. I was your father's property, up until the day you took the throne." Throughout her whole story she refused to look at him, but now her eyes fixed on his, boring in through his gaze to his core. "Now it would seem things are about to change. Where my father was the weak link, I can restore my family tree far past our previous glory." A chill ran through Zuko that had nothing to do with the cooler he had just been freed from.

"What kind of work did you do for my father?" he asked her. While he really wanted to know what she meant by the last statement, he knew it would be better for him to stick to the basics for now. At any moment she could close up and think him too prying, then he would get nowhere. A wolfish grin spread across her face.

"We were everything he needed us to be; his spies, his secret keepers, his assassins, all the way down to his babysitters." Assassins? She was a trained killer? Suddenly her icy eyes seemed to hold a depth much deeper than he had previously seen in them. The remark about being a babysitter was in reference to holding his mother hostage, he was sure. She was testing him, tempting him to question her about it. Why? What game was she playing? He didn't know, but he knew enough not to take the bait and, as much as it killed him, he let the burning questions of his mother die in his throat.

"And now that he's gone, what is your plan?" Zuko asked her in a nonchalant voice. His tone didn't fool her as her eyes flashed dangerously.

"My, aren't you just a teacher's pet today? You mustn't be so keen to know everything my little flame. Information is a dangerous thing, to those who don't know how to handle it." Zuko knew he was losing her, knew she was closing up and pulling away from him. He could feel his window of opportunity closing and knew he had to do something to keep it open, to keep _her_ open to him. With an inner stab of guilt and disgust he resigned himself to his actions. _Wanda, I am so sorry_ he thought quickly then shut the door on every thought that might give his pretense away. His hand brushed hers, then traveled up her bare arm until he was facing her with his palm on her cheek and his face so close to hers that he could feel her breath on his lips.

"I apologize, I didn't mean to embarrass you, I was just being curious. Forgive me." He hated every syllable that was forced from his mouth, but fortunately for him, he had become a very good liar after living with Azula and his father. Her face turned up into his so that their lips brushed ever so slightly. Her eyes searched his for any fraud, any hint of betrayal or trickery, but he knew she wouldn't find any. This game of deception two could play. The trick was to always have a firm base in the truth. As he forced himself to want her, in his mind's eye he saw her as Wanda. Truthfully he wished it was her here with him, and not Anukrei. In all honesty he wanted and yearned for her. He took that truth and twisted it slightly, just enough to convey his want to Anukrei. She need not know it was for another woman. Tentatively she slid the tips of her finders up his back, to which he reacted favorably to by pushing his lips to hers in a soft kiss. He pulled away after a moment, though kept a cocky smirk on his lips which she returned.

"Seems I've given you a lot to think about," she mused as her eyes danced with mischief of a darker kind. "I should leave you to your thoughts." She went to stand, and Zuko grabbed her by the wrist. He compelled his face to convey a wanting and once more brought her lips to his before letting her go. She still didn't fully trust him, which is why she was refusing to tell him, but the door hadn't closed. She was cautious, but almost willing. Almost.

"Will I see you again soon?" he asked her, to which she grinned.

"Of course, my little flame."

"Who is she?" demanded an angry Scarlet Witch as she stood over the now cowering Zierya. The dark haired woman had finally woken up from the last dealing with Wanda, who was now hounding her for answers once more. Zierya was proving to be severely tight-lipped, much to Wanda's dismay, and Akira had yet to be located. Zierya was all they had, and she wasn't saying anything. Wanda was losing her patience, letting her temper grow close and closer to the surface. She let the blue fire surge out to pool in her palm, which she held ominously over Zierya's head. "I will ask you _one. More. Time,"_ Wanda warned in a low and entirely too calm voice which spread goosebumps across Zierya's skin. "Who is Anukrei?" The woman was silent for a moment more, in which Wanda's hex fire blazed up in a threat.

"The second in command of the Shakai!" Zierya squealed in fear and cringed. The hex fire was extinguished, and Wanda crouched down near Zierya's face.

"Who are the Shakai?" she hissed. At first it looked as if Zierya would deny speaking any more, but the flash of blue in Wanda's hand once more proved fear is stronger than loyalty.

"The shadow of Fire Lord Ozai, his spies and assassins."

"You are not one of them," Wanda observed. No spy or assassin would give up this information willingly, or at all depending on the skill of the individual. Zierya mutely shook her head, but then expanded when Wanda scowled.

"Akira and I are Anukrei's hired hands, only for menial tasks such as dressing her or bringing her food."

"You're her maids?" Wanda asked with a raised eyebrow. Why would Anukrei have maids? "And she's the only one who is an air bender?" Again Zierya nodded her head, eyes wide with fear. "What did she want with Zuko?" Zierya shook her head like she was refusing Wanda, but her lip was quivering. The Witch could practically smell the defeat and fear resonating from her victim. "Tell me!" she yelled and brought out hex-fire to cover both of her hands and swell up her arms and legs until she cast her own bluish light over Zierya.

"To take his nation!" Zierya exclaimed and curled into a ball, covering her face with her arms and knees. Wanda was disgusted with the cowardice this maid was showing, but it was working in her favor so she couldn't totally condemn it. Still, she made a mental note to be damn sure that none of Zuko's forces would ever react this way to an interrogation; it would ruin him just as she was using it in an attempt to ruin Anukrei.

"How? Even if she killed him, Iroh would take the throne. She could never inherit it." By now Zierya knew better than to hesitate at answering a question asked by the Scarlet Witch.

"She's going to become his queen, the Fire Lady. She wants the Fire Nation as her own, since it took her people and her nation from her." That explained the need for two maids, she was already preparing herself for the life of royalty. Wanda growled, but knew better than to take her anger out on her source of information. Instead she used her chaos magic to contort the brick wall behind Zierya into a type of restraint, morphing the material around the woman's ankles and wrists to ensure that she wouldn't move. Only when this was done did Wanda leave, and head straight out the side door and into the wide arena that lay this way. Upon reaching the outdoors Wanda let loose on the anger that had been clawing its way free of her control, sending hex fire to consume everything in front of her as far as she could see. Bells of alarm sounded in the distance, but Wanda didn't care.

How dare she? How fucking _dare_ she?! Shakai or not, no one gave Anukrei the rights to take Zuko as her own. While Zuko was by no means entirely Wanda's, it still irked her that Anukrei had the balls to claim him as hers. The sense of entitlement was more than enough, but Wanda's anger with her went deeper. From what she had learned, the Air Nomads were a peaceful people, valuing life in every way. Anukrei was effectively betraying everything her people had built for themselves, throwing centuries of learning teaching and growing to the trash in her vengeance seeking. Not only that, but she was willing to ruin another entire nation because of this deep-seeded resentment for something that had happened more than one hundred years ago. Anukrei would run the entirety of the Fire Nation into the ground, and would take Zuko with it. Whatever plan she had in mind, Wanda was going to put an end to it. The one thing Zierya wouldn't tell her no matter what Wanda did to her was the location of the Shakai, which meant where Anukrei and Zuko were. There was still a lot of work to be done, but Wanda had the scent of her opponent. She would find Anukrei and end this, if it was the last thing she did.


	11. Chapter 11

Wanda stared down intently at the cloth in her hand, wishing for all the world she were some type of blood hound. No matter how much time she spent in Zuko's room, she didn't seem to be any close to him, and it infuriated her.

"Thought I'd find you here," commented a now familiar voice from the doorway. Wanda turned to see Toph leaning against the woodwork, arms crossed over her chest as she stared blankly at the floor.

"I'm not as pathetic as you think," Wanda growled, knowing how it looked to be in Zuko's room almost all day every day. "I'm thinking. There's a purpose to it." Toph shrugged.

"I figured. Can I join you?"

"Sure," Wanda said, sounding more defeated than anything else.

"So what are you thinking?" Toph asked her. Wanda sighed and handed Toph the cloth that was Zuko's.

"That I have no idea what I'm doing. I can't locate him, until I know where Anukrei is. I can't know where Anukrei is unless I could track either her or Zuko. And I can't track either of them, because I have no idea how to! She could have vanished into thin air, as far as I'm concerned. There's nothing to follow, no hints or trails to pick up on. It's like she's a ghost."

"I have tried everything I know too, Wanda. We all have. All of us are turning up just as empty-handed as you. You don't have to be so hard on yourself," Toph argued.

"That's just it though. Anukrei seemed to have everything planned. Everything except me. When she saw my hexes, she seemed surprised. I should be the monkey wrench in this plan, but I'm nothing more than a wall flower at this point! I have something that no one else does, something that Anukrei couldn't have accounted for, and I'm on the same level as everyone else."

"More like everyone else combined," Toph mumbled under her breath, but Wanda caught it. She was about to retort, then stopped. Something Toph had said ignited the fire once more inside of her, and the wheels began to turn.

"Toph….you're a genius!"

"Well no shit. But why are you saying this now?" Toph asked. Wanda leapt up in her excitement, dragging Toph to stand as well.

"You can see things that no one else can, deep into the earth," Wanda pointed out.

"Well yeah, I knew that. But not too deep. I already did a sweep of the city, and I couldn't see anything."

"Exactly!" Wanda exclaimed.

"Huh?"

"My hexes can do a lot of things, but one of the most valuable back in my old world was the ability to turn another mutant's power against them; make it go rampantly out of their control."

"Sounds pretty sweet," Toph admitted, but Wanda shrugged it off.

"Don't you see? If I could make a mutant power turn rogue, and it's been proven I can do the same thing to a person's bending, why couldn't I _enhance_ it? Use my magic to boost your bending!" Toph thought it over for a moment before answering.

"Ok, let's say you can do it, what's to stop my bending from losing control and killing me and Spirits know who else?"

"Me," Wanda answered. "I can. As long as I'm close enough, and have the concentration, I can keep pretty good control over what my hexes do."

"I think we should test this. Try it first. Right now I can only see about fifty feet under the palace. Give me some juice, and we'll see what happens." Wanda took a deep inhale, centering herself, then drew her hex fire out to her palm. At first it remained in fire form, but the more Wanda focused on it, the more concrete it became, until it was more of a spherical shape, then a solid ring. With a slow exhale, she let it flow out and towards Toph, where it was absorbed into the girl's skin. "Whoa," Toph said. "Feels tingly." At first Toph didn't feel anything, and was about to call it off, but then it hit. "FUCK!" she shouted.

"What? Are you ok? Did I hurt you?" Wanda asked, putting her hand out, but Toph shook her head.

"No, it's so much better than all of that. You were right Wanda, you DID boost me. I can see….well, it feels like everything! I don't even know how deep I'm seeing anymore." A weight was lifted from Wanda's chest as she finally found what she was searching for. She was _useful. _

"Come on, let's go," Wanda said. She grabbed Toph's wrist and began towing her towards the door, but Toph seemed hesitant.

"Shouldn't we tell the others, and have them come with us? We could use the back up and extra eyes," Toph pointed out. Wanda hesitated, then shook her head.

"You're all the eyes we need. We don't even know if we will find anything. And I'll be your backup."

"But at least if we tell Aang, then we could move faster. You could be with him in the sky, so I can be free to do my thing on the ground without worrying about you getting in my way." After hearing this, Wanda grinned.

"You won't have to worry about that." She inhaled again, then let the blue hex fire pool in her hands, then spread all the way across her body to glow around her feet. She made a motion with her arms, bringing them upwards, palm-up, and with this action her body moved up as well. Toph's eyes grew wide as Wanda disappeared from her vision, as she was now floating above the ground and not touching anything. "I have too much time on my hands," Wanda explained as she let the magic fade and stepped down. "Well, that and watching you guys bend has really opened up my possibilities. I was watching Aang, and decided to do it myself. Now can we go?"

As soon as they were outside of the palace, Wanda levitated herself to be several feet above Toph, who was using the ground to run as she had before. The Witch put one hand down towards Toph, keeping a steady stream of hex spheres streaming to the earth bender in order to maintain the enhanced vision she was using. Toph was able to not only see deeper down into the earth than she ever had before, but now farther in all directions.

"The city is coming up!" Toph warned.

"Just keep going, I'll take care of it," Wanda told her. When they entered the crowded city streets, Wanda threw out her free hand, casting blue hex lines that pushed everyone out of the way, forcing them to either side of the street. There were angry shouts of indignation, but when they saw the spectacle of Toph, with the Scarlet Witch flying over her covered in blue hex fire, all of their concerns suddenly became quiet. Toph and Wanda were able to get through the whole city in record time, but still Toph wasn't sensing anything. They left the other end of the city and were heading to the cliff when Toph put on the brakes and almost tumbled over the cliff that overlooked a valley below. Wanda grabbed her with hexes, bringing her back to the ground at the edge of the cliff.

"Whoa, thanks," Toph said, feeling a little dizzy.

"What's wrong, what do you see?" Wanda asked.

"There's a fuck-ton of people down there, all spread out like they're hiding." Toph pointed down to the valley, but Wanda couldn't see anything except trees. She knew better than to doubt Toph though.

"They must be guarding something. Something important, if there's a lot of them. Sounds like we found what we were looking for," she said grimly. "How many-" before Wanda could finish her sentence, the cliff side crumbled out from beneath them, sending them tumbling down into the valley. Toph regained her footing first, then grabbed Wanda.

"That wasn't me," Toph told her, and Wanda brought out her hex fire as a threat, scanning the ground around them.

"I figured. Where are they?"

"Moving. This way," Toph confirmed then took a fighting stance. The ground surged up from behind them, trying to force them out into the open with nothing behind their backs, but Toph shoved back with her own earth bending, breaking the stone in two down the middle, then throwing the two halves to either side of her at the hidden benders. Finally Wanda could see who she was fighting as a wall of people, she assumed benders, came out of what seemed to be nowhere. Once more the ground surged up, but Toph was busy blocking them from a water-whip to stop this roll from throwing them away from the cliff side and each other. Suddenly Wanda was regretting her decision to leave all the others behind. She kicked herself for that stupid and short-sighted decision, then pushed it from her mind.

Blue hex fire came out to coat her entire body, flickering violently to warn anyone against touching her, or else they would be badly burned. She cast her eyes around, looking for her first attacker. She didn't have to look far. A wall of fire was being thrown at her, which Wanda turned against the sender, forcing him to dodge out of the way. She chose the moment of weakness to send two hex bolts to those closest to him in their distraction, and they were out for the count. More circled in behind her, but she cast her magic out to surround them, pick them up then throw them in the same direction as the previous fire bender. Wanda risked a quick glance towards Toph, which made her grin. Toph was doing just fine, hardly breaking a sweat, while the other benders threw all they had at her. She was covered in her rock-skin and sending more attacks out than she was defending against. She was allowed this one glimpse, but then Wanda was pulled back into her own battles by a water-whip flicking out to slash her exposed waistline. It stung, but Wanda didn't feel the pain. Instead she allowed more of her pent up anger out to fuel her hex fire, sending a giant hex bolt back at the water bender. A massive boulder was being launched her way, so Wanda pointed at it, throwing another hex bolt to blow it to pieces which she manipulated into a circle around her then sent out like daggers. Fire balls came at her from two sides at once. She took care of them by adding a hex which sent them even faster on their course, up and over her, and to the opposite bender.

More and more seemed to appear from nowhere, and Wanda could feel her magic becoming depleted. Soon she would have to start drawing from her own life force, if it continued on like this. Not liking that idea, Wanda cast out a large spell like a blanket, covering all of the forces before her in chaos magic, which froze them where they stood and their bending as well, then used her other hand to pull all of the attacks she was getting on her opposite side towards the paralyzed side. Water whips were sent out simultaneously, wrapping around both Wanda and Toph. As soon as Wanda realized what was happening she quenched her hex fires so that she wouldn't burn Toph as they were slammed together. Right then a cold, violent wind was sent like a shock-wave through the battles.

"Enough!" shouted a deep velvet voice which made Wanda's blood boil. She looked up to see Anukrei descending on them through the air, lighting down daintily on the grass in front of Wanda and Toph. She grinned when she saw the captives, and advanced towards them. "Well well, what's this?" she mused cheerily. Wanda glowered at her, then spat as hard as she could in Anukrei's direction. The woman simply flicked it away with a stray wind and continued to move forward. "What could you two possibly be doing _here_?" She motioned out towards the surrounding trees and foliage.

"Zierya told us where to look," Wanda lied. A dark anger crossed through Anukrei's eyes, which pleased Wanda.

"Is that so? Hm. That could be troublesome. Well, I suppose you're still looking for the young Fire Lord, then?" Wanda's temped boiled over as the woman in front of her spoke of Zuko as if he meant nothing. She used a hex-covered hand to grab the water that was holding her captive, shattering it, then ran at Anukrei. Toph stomped and brought her arms up, fingers at a point, so that the attacks from the other onlookers fell on her rocks and not the three women trapped inside. Wanda went to grab the woman's throat, but Anukrei pushed one hand out, then inhaled as she slowly brought it back in. Instantly the air was stolen from Wanda's lungs, making her feel as if she were suffocating. At first fear attempted to trickle in past her anger, but Wanda wouldn't let it. She was close enough to at least get to the woman. A hex slashed the air between them, sending Anukrei flying back. Wanda's air returned to her lungs and she gasped, gulping in the sweetness of it. One of Toph's walls were knocked down, but Toph sent a boulder flying at the attackers then remade the wall, keeping them safe as long as she could. Wanda advanced on Anukrei, hate glowing in her eyes.

"Tell me where he is, or I will end you and tear this land apart myself," Wanda threatened. Anukrei looked up at her, then allowed a sly smirk across her pained lips.

"I'm afraid you would never get that far, my dear, though your efforts are impressive. You see, with one word I can kill Zuko before you would even take another step. Is that really what you want?"

"You lie!" accused Wanda.

"No, she doesn't," Toph told her. "She's telling the truth."

"How?" Wanda asked. "If I kill you here and now, there would be no word to give." Anukrei was still smiling as she blew a soft wind out from her mouth, where it hovered in front of her. She whispered something to it, then blew harshly on it again. Not even a second later Wanda heard Anukrei's voice whisper in her ear '_Like this_'. Her voice was carried on the wind.

"Now, are we done being childish? Lower your shields, or I will send the order out right now," Anukrei told them haughtily. Toph hesitated for a moment, attempting to see if Anukrei was bluffing or lying, and when she found that the air bender was speaking the truth, she did lower her rock shields and come to stand next to Wanda.

"You're a sick bitch," spat Toph angrily. This seemed only pleasing to Anukrei.

"I'm so glad you've noticed. I've been working on it for years," Anukrei told them which made Wanda's stomach churn. "Now, you will do exactly as I say, to keep our dear Fire Lord alive. Understand?"

"How do I know you haven't already killed him?" Wanda asked. Anukrei took a few steps closer to her, smiling wolfishly down into her face.

"You don't," Anukrei answered. Wanda snarled at her, wishing more than anything else that she could tear this woman's heart out with her own hands. "Now, you are going to allow my chi blockers to void your bending…or whatever freak power you have, then you will compliantly follow us, without asking questions or doing anything else that you might be tempted to do." As Anukrei was talking, Wanda was looking around, taking count. Her magic was all but gone, but she still had enough left to pull one more move. She was weighing her options. She could kill Anukrei, quick enough that she wouldn't be able to order Zuko's death. But then that left both Toph and herself open to the probably loyal benders, in which case both she and Toph would die, and Zuko might as well once word reached his captors. Or, she could use her magic to get either herself of Toph out. Not both, she didn't have enough power left for that. But one…yes she could get one of them out. It had to be Toph. She knew that as long as she was alive and near Zuko, they both stood a chance, and Toph now knew where to begin looking. Wanda couldn't let them both be taken, because then all of the others back at the palace would be back at square one, with two less people to work on it. Wanda gritted her teeth, coming to her decision.

"Toph will go first," Wanda told her, knowing that Toph would sense the lie and know that something was up.

"Wanda…?" Toph asked, but Wanda shook her head. She had to do this fast, before anyone had a chance to stop her. Like lightning, her right hand was thrown out, coating everyone save for herself and Toph in a paralyzing blue hex, holding them still and binding their bending as long as the hex was in place. With her left hand she directed the rest of her magic at Toph, sending a super-charge through her and manipulating Toph's bending at the same time. She used Toph's earth bending to send her first down, then flying up like a sling shot, and the last ounce of magic was sent after her to send her even farther than the charged bending would have. Toph didn't even have enough time to shout before she was launched almost all the way back to the palace. Wanda knew she could bring the earth up to catch her, so she would be safe. As soon as this registered in her mind, her magic ran out. The hex holding everyone in the valley flickered and died, then Wanda's knees gave out. She slumped to the ground, but fought hard to remain conscious. Anger was blistering in Anukrei's eyes as she moved forward, striking Wanda across the face.

"You think you're so cleaver, don't you?" Anukrei asked her, anger seeping into each word. "Well you will pay dearly for that maneuver, don't you worry about that." Wanda worried that she would kill Zuko, but when she didn't a part of Wanda relaxed. Now, no matter what happened, Toph was safe and could tell the others where to find Zuko when they were ready to mount an attack on the Shakai. A bag was thrown over Wanda's head and she was dragged unceremoniously forward. She didn't have enough strength left to stop it, but she did fight them every step of the way making the trip as miserable for her captors as she could. She felt herself being directed this way, then that, up and then down down down. Rock slid into place behind her, and the bag was ripped from her head. Anukrei was gone, but the two benders that dragged her here were placing her into a chair, then holding her wrists down on the table. She fought hard, but they were stronger than her, even if she hadn't been totally depleted of strength. As soon as her wrists were in place, metal boxed swirled up from the table to trap her hands inside. A thrill of fear washed through her. This was just like what happened with Mesmero on that mountain. With her hands bound like this, she couldn't properly work her magic. She would be defenseless.

"Let me _go_!" she yelled angrily, turning to bite the bender on her right as hard as she could. He slapped her hard enough to make her release him, then stepped back.

"Sari, teach this girl some lessons!" the large bender yelled, and that was when Wanda realized that there was another woman in the room. "You are responsible for her while we are gone. We will be back soon. Do you understand?" he asked to woman, as if she were slow or couldn't understand him. She simply nodded, keeping her head down, then they left. The woman had dark chocolate hair piled up haphazardly on her head, strings of it falling down into her face which was gaunt. Her skin was pale from lack of sun, as if she had never been outside. For a moment dark eyes flitted up to meet Wanda, but then away from her.

"What the fuck is going on? Where am I? Where did that bitch Anukrei go?!" demanded Wanda, but this woman, Sari, made no movement or noise. "Hello? Can you at least answer my questions?" Again, more silence. Wanda pulled angrily at her restraints, trying to free herself but to no avail. She kicked the table, then the chair, but neither of them moved. Her eyes roamed the small, stone-carved room they were in searching for something, _anything_ that would help her. It was a plain room with nothing in it except this chair, this table with the metal hand boxes, and Sari. Wanda didn't know if Sari was one of Anukrei's people, but she seemed less than happy about being there, and her frame was much thinner than any of the benders Wanda had seen today. "Look, Sari, right?" the woman looked up at her. "If you can help me, I can get you out of here. I promise." The woman simply shook her head and continued to stare downward. Wanda let out an aggravated noise and began pulling at her restraints again.

"It is better to keep your head down, and out of trouble. Especially here." Wanda froze when the woman talked. Her lips barely moved, her voice was only a whisper, and her eyes remained glued to the spot on the floor she had been staring at.

"What do you mean? Wouldn't it be better to be out of here?" Wanda asked. Sari shook her head.

"You do not yet understand. Some battles cannot be fought in the light of day. Some, in order to be won, must be silent and unseen." Wanda was about to reply, but the woman shook her head sharply warning her not to. A few seconds later, the two bending men from before re-entered by forcing one wall of stone up, then bringing it down behind them. They placed food in front of her, or what she thought would have been deemed as food. It was a gray mush of some sort, and didn't smell any more appealing than it looked. Why were they even feeding her in the first place.

"Sari, feed the girl," they commanded, and Sari snapped-to as if she were a robot forced to obey commands. She moved forward and picked up a spoon, attempting to bring it to Wanda's mouth. The Witch clamped her mouth shut and shook her head. No way was she putting that in her mouth. "You will either eat willingly, or forcefully, but you _will_ eat," the bender commanded. Now there was no way Wanda was about to put that in her mouth. Something was up, she just didn't know what it was. Sari again tried to feed her, and when Wanda looked at her, the woman's eyes were pleading silently. She didn't trust Sari enough to do as she said, so Wanda continued to refuse to open her mouth. With a grunt of anger, both the benders moved forward, one pushing Sari out of the way. They brought out a thick tube of some sort, while the other tried to grab her jaw. She turned and bit him as hard as she could, and then harder until the iron taste of blood filled her mouth. The opposite bender hit her, once again hard enough to make her let go of his companion, and then she was struck again from her angry victim. Before she had time to recover, one of them grabbed her jaw and pressed with an angry force into the joints until she was forced to open her mouth. Then the tube was shoved into her mouth and pushed down her throat. Wanda whipped her head to either side, chocking on it and fighting to push it back out, but another strong hand grabbed her by the forehead and held her head against the back of the chair, face tilted up. They finally got the tub in, then proceeded to shove the grayish mush down it, and into her stomach.

Wanda could barely breathe with this thing in her throat, but she still fought them in every way possible. Eventually, however, they were able to slide almost the entire bowl of 'food' into her tube and down into her stomach. She got one glace of Sari in her thrashing, and for a moment thought she saw sparkles of water on the woman's cheeks as her stone face continued to stare listlessly away from Wanda, but then Wanda's gaze was pulled from Sari again as she wrestled with the two benders to the best of her ability. Something was ebbing in, pulling at her mind. Something was crawling up her subconscious, eating away at her as it did. _What the fuck?_ she thought, but right as panic started to rise in her, it stopped dead in its tracks. A brain-numbing calmness was starting to fill her, and the gravity of it hit her. _Drugs. There are drugs in the food_, Wanda thought but now didn't feel any emotion. Almost as quickly as she realized this, her mind went blank. She stopped fighting, stopped moving and went almost limp. The benders pulled the tube from her mouth, which Wanda let happen without a fuss.

"That's better" one of them mused, but Wanda couldn't focus on the words. They weren't important. Nothing was important. So why take time to focus on it, to remember it, when it didn't matter? They were talking to one another, and one of them grabbed Sari by the chin and brought her gaze up roughly to meet his. Her face was unemotional and uncaring calm. They said something, to which she didn't even blink, just stared at them, and then they let her go. Right after it happened, Wanda forgot about it, letting it slip from her mind. The woman turned back to her once the men were gone, with something in her eyes. Wanda didn't know what it was, nor did she think to ask about it. Wanda didn't think at all.


	12. Chapter 12

Wrong. Wrong wrong _wrong._ Every time Anukrei touched him, a part of him was revolted by it. She was too gentle with him, too submissive. Even when she was working hard to seduce him, she was too passive. Another part of him chided him for complaining. He was a man, wasn't he? And as a man, he should enjoy any sexual activity, no matter who it came from or how it was offered. And to be honest, Anukrei was beautiful, but at this point Zuko couldn't even see that any more. He had a taste of something, something truly amazing. He now knew what he wanted, what he needed, and it was _not_ Anukrei. Eventually he had to overcome this, in order to gain her trust. She made it clear to him that she wouldn't give him anything until he gave her something. So he gave in, and tried his best to mask his disgust in her blatantly subservient actions. She didn't fight him to gain control, she wouldn't bite him or pull on his hair. She never fought for domination, instead handed it to him without a second thought. There was no fire in her, not the kind he was looking for. Every second she touched him was one he yearned for what he wanted most.

Wanda.

She was fire and ice, passion and fury with a frigid resolve in herself. When he pushed her, she would push back twice as hard. With Wanda, he earned everything she gave him, instead of having it handed to him like Anukrei. Wanda met his temper, his anger and zeal with her own rage and fervor that perhaps outmatched his own. On a deeper level, Wanda not only understood him from the inside out, but she could empathize, and he with her. Everything, from the disappointment of their fathers and siblings to the way they had both been outcasts at one point just clicked. Zuko knew she was his other half, and loathed all the time he had wasted trying to deny this. He had to get back to her.

With a frustrated sigh he turned over, away from Anukrei as he fumbled for his clothes. Zuko went to stand by the only decoration hanging on the stone walls, hiding his face from Anukrei as he tried to recover himself. She had to have sensed something about him, she had to have known that something was wrong, but he didn't think she could trace it back to Wanda. Yet. He heard her slip from the bed, and seconds later felt her lips brush his back. It took everything in him not to tense up.

"What's on your mind?" she cooed in her deep velvet tone.

"You can't keep me caged here, in this room. It's driving me crazy. I feel like I can't even breathe anymore." This was true, but mostly Zuko hoped it would mask what he was really thinking about. He turned to face her, looking into her icy blue gaze. "I won't stay here for much longer, and you know it." It was dangerous to offer an open threat like that, especially when he was trying to stay on her good side to learn more. She seemed thoughtful for a moment, then smirked at him.

"I suppose you're right." She turned back to gather her own clothing as she thought. Her fingers combed through her hair absently for a while, attempting to gain some composure after their night together. Finally she stood and locked her eyes with him. "Alright, my little flame, let's take you on a tour. It's time to see what we are fighting for."

Anukrei ordered no less than ten of her strongest benders, most of them water masters, and allowed Zuko to accompany her when she left the room this time. He attempted to question her, but she would give him no real answers. Not yet. Zuko's patience was wearing thin, especially knowing that she held information about his mother, yet he held his tongue in check. At least they had taken a step in the right direction. Most of what he saw didn't seem to matter much; extra store rooms with hardly anything in them, different rooms in which to practice bending, where the clothes were made and kept, and so on. Finally, with some hesitation from Anukrei, Zuko began to see other more important things. He learned where their water supply was, as how they treated it to be sure it was pure. He was taken into a kitchen, though it was much smaller than he would have thought.

"This is enough to feed everyone here?" he asked. Something lit through Anukrei's eyes and she smirked.

"Sharp eye. True, this is only one of our food preparation rooms, but this is where your food comes from, and mine. So this should be the only one of importance." The way she said it made Zuko edgy. There was something she was hiding about the other food sources. He tried to press her on it, but she shrugged him off. "Perhaps a change of pace will help ease your mind on this matter," she told him coyly. She had that depth to her eyes that made his nerves tingle. She was definitely up to something. She pulled a blank strip of cloth from inside a sleeve of her robe, and Zuko took a step back.

"You're going to blind fold me?" he asked angrily.

"There are still some things that should remain private. At least for now. And I'm sure you will want to see what is on the other side," she tempted. Zuko didn't like this one bit. He would much rather fight his way out, extra bending guards or no. Still, there was his mother to think about, and that's what tore him. Wanda was out there, and Ursa was in here. Eventually he allowed Anukrei to wrap the cloth over his eyes and, not conveniently, over his ears as well to muffle the sounds he would hear. At least Wanda was with the others, and safe for now. His mother was somewhere in this labyrinth of rock and he would find her and free her, no matter what.

Blindly he followed Anukrei, being led by her hand in his and she tugged him this way and that. He was sure she was enjoying the position she put him in, but he never voiced any kind of complaint knowing that would only satisfy her more. After what felt like an eternity he was able to detect a sound that made his blood run cold. Not a sound. A voice.

"How _dare_ you bring this slop to me again! I refuse to put this putrid form in my mouth. Don't you know who I _am_?" she was screaming. Even through the cloth he could hear her.

"Are you _insane_?!" Zuko demanded, and the cloth was pulled from his eyes. Just what he feared was only a short distance away, and luckily she had yet to spot him. Azula was sitting in a chair, arms crossed and her nose turned up in the opposite direction of a plate of food that was being offered to her by yet another bender. Zuko fell into a fighter's stance but Anukrei put a hand on his shoulder.

"She's quite tame, now. It's perfectly safe." Those were two words Zuko would never use to describe his sister. He didn't have time to refute because right then Azula's eyes found him.

"Zu zu!" she squealed in a noxious delight. Zuko narrowed his eyes at her, but nothing more. "I was wondering when you would be allowed to come visit me." She relaxed in her chair, though her poison eyes never left his.

"This is impossible," Zuko told Anukrei. "She's supposed to be at the Boiling Rock under the highest guard. The alarm would have been raised if her cell had ever been empty for any amount of time." Both Anukrei and Azula now shared the same wolfish grin, making Zuko's stomach sink.

"Oh, someone's there alright," Azula told him, but her tone told him so much more.

"Who?" he demanded.

"No one of consequence. Anymore," Anukrei purred in his ear. At first his thoughts flew to Wanda. Was she safe? Was she hurt? How could they have captured her? No way would she have gone willingly, and he had learned it was nearly impossible to make Wanda do anything. But then the Boiling Rock would never hold her… slowly it dawned on him. Anukrei didn't want anyone to challenger her hold on him, but she didn't know about Wanda. No one did, luckily. Who she did know about…

"Mai," Zuko said in a defeated voice. They had taken Mai.

Wanda was given the same ratted work clothes as all the others, including the clinking chains around her wrists and ankles that barely allowed for the proper movement that her work required. The workers were over seen by a handful of benders, but even that wasn't necessary. None of them ever fought back. None of them ever questioned a demand made by a bender. None of them ever even spoke unless required. Wanda wasn't sure how many days were spent like this; chipping away at the rock with blunted picks, eating when told to, and sleeping only when instructed. Her mind never held onto any piece of information longer than a few moments. She could have spent only a few days here, to several months. Time was lost as it held no meaning. Nothing did, just the will to obey spoken commands. She had no thought of her own, no will on which to rely on except for those who directed her. All memory of life before this leaked from her mind until nothing was left. The others referred to her as Kie, and ultimately she lost her identity as well. She was the worker Kie, who knew nothing else of life besides this.

Wind blew through their cavern, unnoticed by the workers as it targeted one bender in particular. He tilted his head, as if listening to something, then nodded. He called out to Kie, who dropped all of her tools to come see what he needed. Just as a slab of stone shifted up near the top of the cavern and allowed a large group of people through, the bender grabbed Kie and pulled her into the dark and cramped stone cavern, out of sight of the people passing through. She was pushed roughly against the unforgiving rock, but made no move to resist.

"Kiss me," the harsh command came from the bender's heated breath. Kiss? Kai had forgotten what that was, until the man's lips pushed hard against her own. Oh. That's right. Kiss. But the command was lost on her as the guard made all the moves himself, as if he was used to doing this. Had Kie seen him with any of the other workers? She couldn't remember. Neither did she care. The brown cloth used as a shirt was ripped from her, leaving long red marks across the back of her neck and shoulder, but the pain was numbed to Kie in her trance-like state. His thumbs scrabbled and clawed at the top of her bottom garments, leaving more gouges in her skin there. Angrily he pulled her towards him for a moment before spinning her around and shoving her face first into the rock. One of his hands stayed pressing strongly on her back, keeping her in place while the other traversed her body in jutted, irritated movements, lingering in the most sensitive areas.

"Now hold still, and stay silent," he commanded. She felt the pressure and heat of him press hard against her, forcing the right side of her face even deeper into the jagged rock. But that wasn't what she was focusing on. His words were still ringing through her head, but not in the normal way. There was something there, something urgent. Her numbed mind was ringing warning bells and flashing red lights, but she wasn't sure why. Something was there, floating right in front of her, if only she could reach out and take it. Kie closed her eyes, focusing on this thought, ignoring the guard who was still trying rip the rest of her garments from her body.

_Now hold still, and stay silent Wanda._ Wanda? Who was that? And the voice in her head was not that of the guard. Yet it seemed drastically more familiar. Still, she followed this thought deeper and deeper until it continued. _Wouldn't want to wake the others. How would you explain___**this**_? _Others? Explain what? The deeper she went with this, the more confused she became. Still, she continued to dig at it, ripping the memory up from the roots to glean as much as she could. Fear ripped through her, but it was old. She gasped at the surprising emotion, to which the guard placed a large hand over her mouth. She ignored him, giving this emotion her full attention. What was she afraid of? Nothing. But that was a lie, as the echo of the memory sent ripples of fear and hate pounding through her blood. It was here, and it was very real.

_Now hold still, and stay silent Wanda. _A flash of silver went through her mind's eye, and before she could stop it a word sprung from her.

"Pietro?" she asked. What was a pietro?

"Shut your mouth you stupid bitch," muttered the guard. But the word was circling again and again through her mind. Pietro. Pietro. What was that?...no. Not what. _Who._ She could see a face now. Slick silver hair, a cocky grin and predatory eyes that haunted her. Pietro.

_Now hold still, and stay silent Wanda._ At first things began to trickle in, the spell of musk and rain, dirt and dust. Red sheets on a small bed. It was her bed. A dark room. Then without warning the floodgates of her mind burst open, and the entire memory swamped her senses.

She used to love the rain, it would always bring out the best feelings in her: Excitement and wonder, rejuvenation and a jolt of life, especially if it was a thunder storm. Now she hated it, because it meant he would come. With the rain sounding outside and across the roof over her head, their sound would be drowned out and the others living in the house would never be the wiser. She would shut her eyes tight, feigning sleep, but it never stopped him. Like a ghost he would enter, only a small breeze letting her know he was there. He would watch her for a minute, and that's when she would hope against all hopes he would leave but he never did. Her blanket was ripped from her, exposing the small ball she had curled up into. Before she could move to defend herself, his lightning fast movements would have her night dress off, pinning her hands to the bed with his own as he stared down at her so greedily. She would tell him to stop, but it only made his eyes darker and his grin wider. He would mock her, saying no matter how powerful she was, she was always his when the rain came. She would squeeze her eyes shut and tug, but he was right. Whatever gave her the previous feelings of invigoration worked tenfold in her twin brother, rendering her completely his. _Now hold still, and stay silent Wanda, _he would say as he pried her legs open. _Wouldn't want to wake the others. How would you explain _**this**_?_

Kie's eyes flew open in a shout of rage. She would _never_ be subjected to anyone like that ever again, she had vowed it to herself long ago and would die keeping it. Her hands were instantly filled with a burning blue hex fire. She shoved against the rock and threw her head back, catching the guard in the face as she whirled on him. He staggered back, cursing and holding his nose that now streamed blood. The hex magic glittered in the darkness of the small cave, crawling up her hands to cover most of her arms as well, which effectively melted the chains off of her wrists. She shot a simple hex at the ones around her ankles, and those too sprang off. She looked across at the bender with murder written in her eyes. He brought fire out to his palms as well, but before he could even move of speak she pointed a singer finger at him, allowing the now scarlet hex to jump from her hand straight to his heart in one flash of scarlet lightning. He dropped dead before the light had faded.

Breathing heavily, she tried to clear her mind then thought better of it. The rage was the only thing keeping her here, as opposed to locked within the folds of her own mind. She let it boil and burn inside of her, trying to singe out every ounce of numbness that still remained. With a wave of her hand, the ragged clothes on the floor became animated with hex magic and found their way back to Wanda's body, re-stitching where they had been ripped as she walked to the mouth of the small cave she had been pulled into. Her eyes surveyed everything before her, seeing the mindless workers and the dull-eyed guards. They didn't perceive a threat here, and why should they when all of their underlings were drugged to hell? Good. That means they would never see her coming.

She walked out calmly, not drawing any attention to herself until she was in the middle of the cavern. Then she looked up, catching every single guard and staring at him right in the eyes. How many of them had taken advantage of the workers here? How many had used them as she had almost been used? How many were heartless, soulless rapists of the helpless? The answer was about to be none. With a snarl she lifted both her hands up, pointing at the guards two at a time until they had all dropped dead. The workers never even looked up from their tasks. Well, almost all of the workers. There was one who seemed vaguely familiar. She looked on from the shadows, haunted eyes wide with both fear and hope. Before Kie could make another move, something hit her hard from behind, sending her to the floor. More guards had filed in from the entrance at the top of the cavern, and were throwing attacks at her. The hit to the back of her head was now oozing thick streams of blood down her neck and shoulders, making her mind misty again. She gritted her teeth against it, turning and shooting two more red lightning hexes, taking down two more guards, before the mist swarmed her thoughts and rendered her helpless once more.

"SARI!" shouted one of the guards. The woman from the shadows emerged with her head low, and her face blank. "You were supposed to be keeping watch over this one!" he shouted at her, but she never flinched. His hand lashed out, catching her across the face hard enough to send her to her knees. "Double her doses, and see to it yourself that she meets with Mistress Anukrei. Am I clear?" Sari nodded mutely. The guard glowered down at both her, then Kie before turning on his heel and heading back to the two that had been killed. Kie could barely make sense of up from down, her head was pounding like war drums making it increasingly hard to focus.

"Come with me," Sari commanded and offered her hand. Kie took it, and was pulled to her feet only to have her vision swim then darken at the edges. "You're in pretty bad shape. We should hurry." Kie felt herself moving, but didn't take notice of where she was being moved to. Before long a door was shut behind her, and she looked up. She was in the personal room of someone, she suspected Sari. "Sit here," the woman said in a firm but soft voice, offering a chair to Kie and pressing a towel to the back of her head. Kie groaned in pain as it was pressed against the sensitive wound. "Good, you can still feel pain. After you have something to eat, the pain will go away," Sari promised hollowly. She turned around to grab something. Kie's world was tilting violently and the room was spinning so hard that she could no longer hold her own balance and fell to the floor. "Kie!" shouted Sari, and she knelt on the floor next to Kie. Kie's gaze caught on something beneath Sari's bed. A portrait of a young boy. Yet again another memory pushed through. _Very handsome, wasn't he?_ Uncle said in her head. That was when she first met Uncle Iroh…

"I know him," Kie mumbled almost unintelligibly. "He looks different now, though," she mused, placing fingers to the left side of her face. Sari froze, watching Kie. She pulled the portrait out, and Kie's eyes followed it.

"You…you know who this is?" Sari asked. Kie nodded, then winced at the pain it caused her. Sari helped to pull her into a sitting position, though there was something desperate in this woman's face. "Kie, I need you to focus. Here, put this under your tongue." She offered Kie a small, oval shaped leaf with purple lines running through it and Kie did as she was told. Almost instantly the mist around her thoughts thinned. "You said you know who this is," Sari reminded her, pointing again to the portrait of the young boy.

"Zuko," Kie said, following the instinct to speak before she could think about it. At first the name sounded foreign, but after saying it Kie smiled. It was right, and for some reason it made her heart flutter. Something was wrong with Sari, but Kie couldn't pin point it.

"Yes! You've seen him? When? And where? Is he doing well?" Sari's questions caused Kie to furrow her brow in thought. Her mind still wasn't fully recovered, but the strange leaf she was sucking on sure did help. Where was the last place she had seen Zuko? It took her a moment, then she remembered.

"At the palace. I don't know how long ago. Just a few days before I came here."

"The palace? Why was he at the palace?" Sari asked. "Kie, I need you to focus. Please. It's important." By Sari's tone, Kie knew she was telling the truth. For some reason it was truly important to this woman to know about Zuko.

"Well where else would the Fire Lord stay?" asked Kie indignantly. Only after she had said it did she sense the importance in what she said.

"Fire Lord?" breathed Sari. "Zuko…is the Fire Lord?" Sari seemed to be holding back so much, but this finally broke her. She let out sob and threw her arms around Kie. "He's alright. He did it," she sobbed quietly.

"I…I don't…" started Kie as she wondered why Sari cared so much. Sari pulled herself away, trying to regain composure. She wiped her eyes and steadied her breathing, but couldn't stop smiling.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you. I'm just so relieved. You see, Zuko is my son." This statement caused Kie to stare at Sari. Slowly, ever so slowly, more and more information was yielded to her by her fogged brain. Ursa. Zuko had been searching for Ursa ever since she had disappeared when he was a boy. She remembered spending an entire day with Zuko, sharing stories and pasts. She remembered the look on his face when he talked about finding his mother. "I have so many questions," Sari began but then stopped when she again looked at Kie and remembered how hurt she was. "Those must wait. For now, take another one of these." She handed Kie yet another purple veined leaf, taking the old one out from under her tongue. "I'll see if I can get some food to you, but you mustn't eat it all. They drug the food."

"I gathered that," Kie said dryly.

"The plant you are sucking on works as a small antidote, but only for certain doses. It will allow you to think clearer than everyone else, but not perfectly. You have to eat some, or else the guards will get suspicious, but the less you eat the better." Only after Sari had said this did Kie realize just how gaunt and thin this woman truly was. She had seen portraits of Ursa before, and the woman before her was only a ghost of what she had been. Still, she was alive and finding a way around her conditions. "You can't let on that you are any clearer Kie. You must act as if you are as heavily drugged as you were before; more so now that I was instructed to give you double doses. No matter what happens, you must remain passive. Do you understand?" Kie nodded. It made sense. That's why Sari…no Ursa. That's why Ursa had been so stone faced before. She was very good at acting like that. Kie wasn't sure she would be able to be as good as Ursa, but she understood the risks.

"How long does the leaf work for?" Kie asked.

"I usually only use one at the beginning of each day, but you have had much more of the food than I have. That's why I gave you two. But you should ration them, I can only go out every so often to find more." Kie went to ask another question, but Ursa shook her head. "I need to fix you up, then you need to rest. We can get answers to our questions when you're feeling better." Kie nodded in agreement, not wanting to admit how much the gash in the back of her skull was hurting her. She let Ursa clean the wound then put stitches in, then was taken to a different room to rest. "When you wake, they will try to feed you. Eat as little as possible, but clear your plate. Hide the extra in clothing, towels, whatever you can find. I will find you shortly after." Kie nodded and felt her eye lids trying to clamp shut. The last thing she saw was a knowingly kind smile from Ursa, and then she was out.


	13. Chapter 13

Zuko paced angrily in his room, finally releasing some of the pent up tension that had been instilled in him after learning about Mai. He had come so close to losing his control, had been so close to lashing out at Anukrei, but had been able to hold it together and remain visibly passive. Barely. He didn't stay with Azula long, and Anukrei hadn't had much else to show him after revealing that his sister was the newest member of the Shakai. Thankfully he was back in his room soon enough that he didn't have to hide his emotions for long.

How dare they abduct Mai like this! Not only was her father a powerful man, but it was obvious she was under his protection, ex-girlfriend or not. But that's why Anukrei did it; that was the reason wasn't it? Bitterly he remembered the smug smirk on Anukrei's lips as she told him of Mai's fate, locked away in the Boiling Rock where no one would look for her, no one would ever find her, doomed to take up what would have been Azula's fate. All because they had previously been involved. True, they were no longer engaged or even together, and while they hadn't left on the best of terms, Zuko still cared for her. Just because they had broken up didn't mean that she should be penalized in any way, especially like this. Zuko let out an angry growl, throwing a punch into the rock wall and wincing as his knuckles split under the force. As he shook it off a look of determination spread across his face.

He would find and free his mother. He would get out of this stone-walled prison. He would reunite with Wanda and free Mai. Then he would tear the entirety of the Shakai down until it was nothing but dust. Starting with Anukrei.

Kie woke as someone roughly pulled her to her feet, then pushed her towards the door. It was yet another bender, one of Anukrei's guards, taking her to see Anukrei herself to receive retribution for her actions. The fact that she remembered this was testament to the leaf that was residing beneath her tongue, most likely slipped there by Ursa right before the guard came in. Strangely they didn't offer her a drugged plate of food. Kie reasoned this was due to the fact that they wanted her to be at least slightly lucid for her reprimand. No point in punishing her if she were totally numb to it. Still she knew she couldn't let on just how clear she was, and worked on maintaining a blank face and an empty stare, locking away any emotion that would give her away. She was shoved into a mostly dark room with a single chair and one, flickering light which bounced off the jutted rock walls, reflecting harshly on Anukrei who was standing behind the chair.

"Place her here, then leave us," she commanded and the guard did as he was bid, sliding a slab of rock back into place and sealing her shut in the room with one very angry air bender. Wanda sat loosely in the chair. She was careful not to tense too many muscles and stared emptily to the space before her. All of her nerves were buzzing at having Anukrei standing right behind her, but there was nothing she could do about it. "So," Anukrei started in a harsh tone. "You thought it _fun_ to kill some of my best guards?" Wanda didn't reply. "You thought you would simply walk away from this slaughter, this scene of murder?"

_It isn't murder if the rapist pigs deserved it, _Kie thought. _It was justice._ Still, she said nothing aloud. Anukrei didn't seem to care. "How you were able to accomplish this is beyond me, and frankly I don't care." The woman moved to stand in front of Kie, glowing down at her. The hatred and flickering light twisted her face from her previous beauty into a mask of monstrosity. With one harsh motion, Anukrei drew up her hand, fingers brought together in a point and pulled it backwards from Kie and towards herself. Kie felt the air being yanked from her lungs as it was stolen from her body and went to swirl in the palm of Anukrei's hand. Kie felt the life instantly drain from her as she struggled to breathe in again, but no air would come to her. Panic rose in her chest, yet still she fought to remain passive. She must not give Ursa's gift of clarity away. Anukrei shoved Kai's head up by thrusting strong fingers under her chin, forcing her to look into her captor's hateful gaze of ice. "I had hoped that, in time, you would have been one of the Shakai's most prized possessions. You had so much potential. But it seems that you are unfit for the task. What a waste."

The pointed nails of her fingers dug into Kie's jaw, pushing hard against the muscles there to pry her mouth open and part her lips. Once this was accomplished Anukrei bent down allowing her painted lips to lightly brush against Kie's as she exhaled deeply. Before Kie could rejoice in the replenishment of air into her lungs, an arctic chill spread through her mouth, leeching down her throat to take hold into the delicate walls of her lungs, seeding deep into the tissue and freezing there to send immense pain scathing through Kie's entire body. Her eyes widened at the burning sensation this caused. Had she been capable of noise undoubtedly she would have made some but this pain had seized all of her muscles, including her throat, and refused to relinquish any action resulting in Kie's silence and paralysis. Anukrei drew back to observe Kie with cold eyes, watching as the slow death swirled its way through her body. "You will die here, in this unmarked tomb. No one will see you, no one will find you, and no one will mourn you. You will die here, and no one will even remember your name."

Kie felt more and more life being sucked from her, and with it went her ability to think. It was as if she had been drugged again, only this time it was due to her imminent death as the frost settled through her body and into her mind. The last thing she was aware of was Anukrei leaving, then the world around her ceased to exist. She wasn't sure how long she had, but every second felt like an eternity of torture. What little gasps she could obtain only renewed the agony stemming from her lungs. Darkness ebbed into her vision, clouding out anything she might have been able to see of the dark room, and soon enough her panicked thoughts receded into a worried trickle. Flashes began to appear in her mind, first of her previous world then of this one. Magneto, Pietro and Mystique were first, but she couldn't even muster any emotions that should be tied to these people. Then Anukrei's face as she set Kie's death in motion, how twisted her countenance had become until she didn't even look like a person any more. Then…then Toph, the girl she had grown to respect and admire. At least she had saved Toph, and the earth bender would not share her fate. Then the others; Suki, Sokka, Katara, Ty Lee, Aang…. They were so kind to her, and she had never gotten to thank them. Uncle, with his smiling eyes and words of comfort. He would never know how grateful she was for him. And finally: Zuko. Her iced heart was able to squeeze out a single throb at the thought of him. She remembered the one night they had together, and felt warmth spread through her body. At first she thought this was due to the memory, or perhaps she was finally leaving this world and transitioning to whatever death held for her. But she kept getting warmer, from the inside out….maybe she was going to hell.

After a few more moments, she realized that she was still alive, and something was happening to her. Warmth was being pushed through her the same way Anukrei compelled the ice to take over her body. It came through her mouth, burned down her throat and pooled in her lungs, which then slowly fed it to the rest of her body. The reanimation of so many frozen cells screamed anguish from inside of her, but her throat and body were still too frozen for her to show any of this. Was Anukrei back, torturing her more? Oh God, the pain was brutal. Why couldn't she just have died, and be done with this mortal life and the endless pain that seemed to be heaped upon her? Another round of heat surged through her body, sending blazing white-hot misery searing through her. It was excruciating, even more so when she couldn't manifest any signs of the pain. Finally her body thawed enough to which she was able to offer a weak noise of pain. Something was throbbing in her ears, but she couldn't make sense of it just yet. The heat again was sent through her body, working deeper into the tissues and muscles that had been frozen and causing a new wave of suffering, and now she was able to make an even louder noise. The heat stopped, and for a second time something was fluttering in her ears. Not something, some_one._ Still her mind was iced up beyond the ability to interpret sound. The pain of the heat waves continued on like this, running through her body interrupted only by the strange clamor that rang in her ears until at last she could understand it.

"Wanda! Wanda! Dammit Wanda you will _not_ die, do you hear me? Wanda!" His lips pushed against hers and he breathed heat into her mouth. The name he was shouting resonated through her mind. Wanda. Wanda. Wanda…._she_ was Wanda, wasn't she? That was her name. That was her. Wanda, previously the Scarlet Witch. Unnaturally warm hands were holding her face on either side as even more heat was given from him to her. With the recognition of her name, the rest clicked into place as the final residuals of Anukrei's icy death were melted from her body. Zuko was holding her to him, pressing his lips to hers in order to send his heated breath to fetch her back from the brink of death. It was him who had saved her, yet again. Slowly her blurred eyes began to see things, and recognized him, looking desperately down on her.

"Zuko?" she croaked out. With a laugh that was borderline hysteric he hugged her tightly. "How did you find me?" she asked.

"Why are you even here? You are supposed to be at the palace, safe and out of harm's way," he told her as he let go just enough to look into her eyes. Wanda frowned a bit.

"I can take care of myself, I'm not some helpless little girl," she told him half-heartedly. She hated being treated as inferior, but he was slightly right in the fact that this was the second time he'd been forced to save her. She hated the fact that she had ever needed saving in the first place. "Besides, you didn't answer my question." He looked up at something behind her. She turned to look as well, and winced as she twisted very sore muscles, but saw what he meant. There was a pillar of fire, which explained the heat in the room and how well she was able to see. Upon a closer look she realized it wasn't a pillar, but a ring of fire, with one of the earth bending guards inside of it.

"I was following Anukrei, hoping to find some information on something else, when I heard her talking to a guard about you. She told him to stand watch here until morning, then to make sure your body was never found." He shrugged, and looked away, trying to hide the fear that was in his voice. He couldn't even imagine what it would have been like, to lose Wanda before he had ever truly had her. "We need to leave here," he told her, pushing the previous thought as far out of his mind as her could. He looked into her eyes, and she saw a spark in them, filled with hope. "My mother …" he admitted, the words heavy with meaning. Wanda nodded.

"I know," she said. His eyes widened in surprise.

"What do you mean you know?" he asked.

"I've seen her, and talked to her just yesterday. She's here Zuko." This realization reverberated through the young Fire Lord.

"Show me." Zuko stood, helping Wanda to do the same. At first she was wobbly as she was still trying to regain control of her muscles, but before long she recovered completely. Zuko lowered the ring of blazing flames around the earth bending guar, just low enough to demand an exit. The guard refused him, more out of fear than loyalty for Anukrei, and Wanda could tell it would take time to convince him. Instead she pointed at the wall she had entered through. This resulted in the rock blasting into pieces with a giant hex bolt. Both Zuko and the guard looked at her but she merely shrugged.

"Are you coming or not?" she asked impatiently.

"He'll raise an alarm," Zuko pointed out as he motioned to the guard. Wanda sent another smaller blue hex at the guard, and he fell to the ground.

"No, he won't. Now let's go."

Wanda had no knowledge of the stone labyrinth because she had been sectioned off into the worker's portion, as well as heavily drugged almost her whole time here. Zuko had more from his tour the previous day, but not much more. Whenever they ran up against a dead end Wanda would hex it out of existence. This continued until things started to look familiar. Wanda motioned for them to take a left at the next turn they came upon, and sure enough the long tunnel ended in the open cavern that she used to spend all waking hours in. If her memory served, as it was tainted by the mist that clung to her thoughts during her time spent there, Ursa would be here as a type of overseer of the workers; the median between the brain-numbed workers and the brute guards. She peeked around the corner then pulled back instantly when she found it was heavily guarded. Zuko moved to the other side, both of them pressing against the rock walls to keep from being seen. He motioned that he would go out first to draw the fire and Wanda was to cover him. She nodded her agreement, and Zuko tucked low to tumble between the guards. Before they could look down he swirled in a tight circle on his back, spinning a ring of flames from his heels to push everyone backwards from him if they didn't want to be burned. He used this motion to bring him to a standing position, just in time to push an open palm through a jet of fire blasted towards Wanda and himself, dissipating it around the two of them before it could do any harm.

A water bender attempted to use a water whip to lash at them, and Zuko countered with flames big enough and hot enough that instantly turned the water to steam. Wanda saw several boulders coming at them from the opposite direction and turned so that she was back to back with Zuko. She sent the large heaps of rock back at the benders, which afforded her just enough time to glance around. The workers were staring blankly at this war scene, none of them making any moves to defend themselves or get out of the way. Wanda didn't have enough time to search all of their faces for Ursa, and was forced to focus on diverting and returning attacks from the guards who had no care for the workers lives. If they got in the way, they died. Wanda worked as quickly as she could to cast hex shields over the ones in immediate danger but there were several even she couldn't save.

Zuko also was fighting hard to keep the opposing benders on the defensive to spare the lives of the hollowed out workers, but there were too many that were too far apart. When he turned to direct attacks to one section the others would make their move. Desperately he lunged to provide a wall of fire over the heads of several workers that otherwise would have been casualties to an opposing water bender, and that's when her face lit up his mind. Ursa was staring in awe right at him, not even fifty feet away. Luckily she was safe above them on a ledge looking down into their battle in the center of the room. Their eyes met and Zuko faltered._ She was here! _He had finally found her, after all of these years. All of his attention was diverted to his mother, so he took the brunt of the next attack as a water whip snaked out of the air and ripped the skin of his back open in a deep wound.

"Zuko!" Ursa cried, making Wanda turn around to see what had happened. The sight of his blood flowing freely through his torn garment was enough to send Wanda over the edge. With a cry of rage she threw both of her hands up then out in a pushing motion, spreading a very large dome of hex magic around herself and Zuko. The effort of holding it up against the countless attacks made her grit her teeth, but she held it steadily.

"Zuko?" she asked. He grunted and stood with a wince.

"I'll be ok," he told her, looking through the chaos shield and through the attacks falling on the dome to see his mother again. Luckily the guards were still directing all of their attention into the bottom center of the cavern, and none towards her. He stared longingly at her for a few more seconds, then glanced at Wanda. He could tell the effort from holding this dome was immense, and would probably only last a handful of seconds longer. "Let go!" he commanded her, and she did. She crouched down low enough for her palms to be on the floor, her head down, and Zuko moved in over her to send out rapid shots of fire at all of the bending that was being directed at her. From the ground Wanda sent another hex out, traveling through the rock until it buckled under those who were advancing on them. This gave her enough time to stand again, taking in a deep breath to center herself and draw more hex fire out to fill her palms. A huge blast of fire was coming towards them, and Wanda sent a hex to return it back to the bender who sent it, but it was too much fire power for her to control entirely. Instead it was directed up and into the ceiling of the cavern with a bone-vibrating explosion. Several shards of rock began falling as enormous cracks spilt through the rock. Without a doubt, Wanda knew it would fall in a matter of moments causing a cave-in that would bury them all.

"Get them out!" Wanda demanded of Ursa, motioning to the workers. Wanda knew they would listen to Ursa, as she had been the median between them and the guards and had thus been able to exert some sense of control over them.

"I'm going with her," Zuko said and moved towards her.

"No, we have to find Anukrei!" Wanda told him. She could tell he was going to refuse, so she put a hand on his forearm to stop him. He glared back at her, and Wanda held his golden eyes with her own sapphire defiant stare. He tried to stare her down, but she wouldn't budge. Finally he looked from her to his mother then back and nodded. He knew that Anukrei had to be found before she was allowed to slip away and begin all of this again. As much as he wanted to be with his mother and make sure she was safe, he knew this was much more important. He nodded dejectedly and Wanda let go. Ursa was already directing a steady stream of the workers back into the tunnels, looking up just in time to catch their eyes. This lasted for only a breath before a rumble shook the entire cavern. The ceiling finally buckled, almost falling on them before Wanda was able to cover them in a net of chaos magic, holding the largest of the shards in place long enough to Ursa and the last of the workers to disappear down the hallway and hopefully up to the surface. The effort of throwing the net into place and holding the ceiling up pressed down on Wanda, forcing her down until she stumbled onto one knee, trembling at the effort of keeping her hands above her head. "Go!" she shouted at Zuko, knowing full well that she wouldn't be able to hold up the hex much longer. Sweat beaded her face and her eyes scrunched tight in exertion.

"No, I'm not going to leave you," Zuko told her. Wanda didn't have time to argue with him. She attempted to shift the brunt of the magic holding the rock in place to her right hand, then like lightning her left hand shot out, landing a hex bolt directly on Zuko's chest. This was enough to send him flying backwards far enough that he would be out of harm's way. Even though this took less than a second, it was all that was needed for the weight of the crushing stone to overcome her hex. Zuko watched it flicker then fail, allowing everything that was being held in place to come crashing down.


	14. Chapter 14

For once, her mind was silent; no worries nagged at her, hate, rage and fear didn't paint angry colors in her mind. Just one single thought:

_Who was she?_ This circled her head, forcing more and more thoughts to bleed out in branches. She was Wanda Maximoff; The Scarlet Witch, of course, wielder of chaos magic. She had lost that, not too long ago. Never had she known how dear her identity was to her. But this thought kept pressing her, as if this answer wasn't enough.

_Who was she?_ She was a fighter, not on any team but for herself. She held no alliance, she was neither good nor bad. She was her own entity. But again, this didn't satisfy her inner mind, pushing harder now.

_**Who was she?**_ She was daughter of Magneto, a mutant and a sister. Blind anger ripped through her at the thought of Pietro, but it didn't last long. It was pushed away by the reoccurring thought.

_**Who was she?**_ She was….nothing else. Nothing else came to her mind. That was the extent of who she was. It frightened her to find that there was truly nothing deeper. There was nothing more to her than her previous, now void title of Scarlet Witch, her family, and her rage. She had nothing else but these, and here in this new world they meant nothing. Which in turn meant…

She was nothing. She was a scared little girl who needed saving more often than not. She was a nuisance to those around her, always in the way. She was lost in herself. She was no one.

With this thought, something rumbled deep inside of her. Red pooled into her thoughts, splashing every idea, bleeding into every aspect until the entirety of her mind was tainted with red. No, not red. _Scarlet._ No more.

No more would she be thing incompetent child, letting fear rule her. No more would she be the one who needed saving. Never again would anyone hold this type of power over her. Never again would she be lost. Never again would she be no one. With this realization, a brilliant scarlet light flashed in her mind's eye.

She was stronger than this. She was above all of this. She was better than this. She was beyond self-doubt and second guessing. She was a great being, with great power. She was a force to be reckoned with. And she would never yield.

"Wanda!" Zuko yelled in anguish as the tons of rock cascaded down onto her, leaving a thick cloud of dust for him to choke on. Instantly he shot to his feet and shoved hard against the boulders in an attempt to move them. He had only been at it for a few seconds when a perfect circle was made above him, allowing Toph, Sokka, Suki, Katara and Aang through. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

"We knew that, with both you _and_ Wanda down here, something was bound to happen. We just had to wait for it, and be ready when it did," Toph told him. "I've been listening in, looking for a sign that you were making your move," she said, meaning she had been using her earth-sight to watch for abnormalities in the labyrinths under the ground. Zuko shoved once more against the rock in front of him.

"Wanda," was all he could muster. It was enough, the others understood.

"Move," Toph instructed and he obliged. Toph dug her heels into the dirt, shifting her ankle to the side to slide her right leg out in front of her. As she did this, her hands jabbed out in front of her, then up. The only problem was, nothing moved.

"Toph?" asked Suki. Before she could answer, there was a swirling motion in the center of the rocks, as if someone was stirring the solids into liquids from the inside. It grew faster and faster, eating up more of the rocks and turning it all to a magma state, which very quickly formed into a shifting orb that glowed red hot. The center began to glow brighter and brighter until everyone on the outside was forced to look away. There was one last giant flash, then all of it was gone, even the rubble around them. The only thing left was Wanda, hovering a few inches off the ground in front of them, and she glowed with a flickering fire-like deep crimson around her edges.

"Wanda?" called Toph, since she was the first to find her voice. Wanda's eyes opened and she looked up. Only they weren't her eyes anymore, they were a brilliant shade of scarlet and glimmered gently as if lit by embers.

"Wanda… are you…?" Zuko asked, taking a few tentative steps forwards.

"I'm fine," Wanda told him. There was a slight difference to her voice though, as if it were echoing deep inside of her before coming out. "We can't waste any more time. We have to move."

"She's right," Sokka spoke up. "We have to move fast." Zuko hesitated just once second longer before delivering orders to the others. Katara, Aang and Toph were to go through the rest of the tunnels and rooms, making sure that everyone else was out. Sokka and Suki were going to join Wanda and Zuko in hunting down Anukrei, taking down the entire complex as they went. Wanda brought a brilliant scarlet hex-flame to her palm, then focused it into a ring.

"Throw fire at the pillar," Wanda told Zuko as they exited the hollowed out cavern.

"That won't do anything," he started to tell her but she grumbled.

"Would you just trust me?" He shrugged and punched a wave of flame towards the intended target. Wanda shoved some of her bending-enhanced magic towards him at the same time he moved, turning his pillar of flame into a deadly explosive. The pillar crumbled into bits without pause, sending out a deafening boom as it did. He looked at his hands then at Wanda with wide eyes. "No time to explain, just keep it going," she instructed. The group continued on, with Zuko collapsing passages as they exited them with Wanda's chaos-boost. Eventually they came to a split passage way. Sokka was about to suggest that they split up when Wanda laid a hand on Zuko's arm. It glowed brightly for a moment and when she took her hand away her fingerprints still glistened on his skin. She closed her eyes for a minute, bringing up her magic to match the essence she drew from Zuko, then opened her eyes as she cast it out to cover both hallways. Blue marks showed footfalls and smeared hand prints down the hallway to the left. "Azula went that way," Wanda said calmly. Again they all gaped at her.

"When did you learn to do that?" asked Zuko.

"Now," Wanda said with a shrug and a grin.

"Wait, hold on, you mean _Azula _as in bat-shit crazy ex-princess?" Sokka asked. "What the hell is she doing here?!" Wanda ignored him and went down the hallway that was still glowing blue as a reflection of Azula's essence. Zuko caught up with her shortly, followed by the other two.

"How did you know Azula was here?" he asked her. He didn't remember telling her…Wanda shrugged.

"I can feel it," she said though her tone was off and her face was more confused than factual. Zuko was going to press it but she shook her head. "Look, I'm not sure how or why, but I can feel your sister. I think….I think it's because she has so much chaos in her. I can sense it, but I wouldn't have been able to show it like that without you. I needed to be able to use your essence to find hers."

"My essence?" Zuko asked.

"Yeah…um… I don't know about that either. I'm kind of figuring out all of this as I go."

"What happened back there? With the cave in? I thought…. I thought you were dead." Wanda looked at him out of the corner of her eye, and was very aware of how close Suki and Sokka were. They could hear everything. "You know I can only take so much of that in one day," he commented with a soft smile, but she could tell it was strained.

"Zuko, I…" She what? Was sorry for almost dying again? Not really her fault. But she understood why he was so terse. While they hadn't had enough time together to truly delve into it, she knew there were definite sparks between them, hell maybe a wildfire. Even now she could feel the effect he had on her; the way her mind fogged up and her heart beat too fast in her chest. Zuko could tell her mind was mulling something over because the scarlet ghost wisps of hex fire that danced in her aura became agitated, growing larger and flickering faster. He wasn't even sure he should touch her at this point, but risked it when he put a hand on her arm. He felt a slight twinge, but was able to use his knowledge of bending fire to deter it. Wanda looked up into his golden eyes with her own now glowing scarlet gaze.

"Look out!" came the shout from Sokka behind them, just in time for Wanda to pull up a large wall of defensive chaos magic. A lightning bolt hit it, sending a jolt of electricity through it and shattering the wall. Wanda, who had been magically linked to it, also dropped to the floor, pulling her arms in to hug herself as blue electricity moved across her body.

"Well Zu-Zu, I didn't think you would be this eager to see me again, what after our last encounter," she purred from the darkness cast by the torches along the wall.

"Azula," he hissed in anger. In close quarters like this, it would be much harder to face her. He couldn't redirect her lightning without fear of hitting someone else in the hallways behind him.

"Oh, you still can't be mad about that, can you dear brother? It's where she belongs, and you know it. You didn't even want her, after long enough." Zuko shot two balls of fire at her in anger, coming to stand in front of Wanda. Azula dodged them easily, her eyes lighting with joy as Zuko fired at her.

"That's not true," he growled heatedly.

"Don't," Wanda warned through gritted teeth. She was attempting to stand, though blue lightning still sparked over her clothes and skin to cast strange lightning on Suki and Sokka. "She's just being a bitch, trying to goad you into doing something stupid." Azula's mouth pulled downward in a frown.

"And who is this slut, to be nosing into our business Zu-Zu? Another one of your whores?"

"Where's Anukrei?" demanded Sokka. Azula sneered at him.

"Oh, she's around," she said evasively.

"Why are you even working with her? What has she promised you?" Suki asked. Azula's eyes grew sinister, and her grin was wolfishly malicious.

"Everything," she told them in a dark voice. "Of course I deserve everything she's giving me," she continued in a much more bored tone. "After all, it was mine first." Her eyes lit on Zuko as she glared him down. "I was always Father's favorite. I would have gotten everything. I guess I still will, even after everything you've done to keep me from it."

"The only thing you are going to get is your old cell back," Zuko told her tersely. A sour look crossed her face, and with a flash she brought out another line of lightning. Zuko dodged it, but Wanda didn't. She put her hand out, covered with chaos flames, catching it out of the air and absorbing it into her. This time she didn't drop to her knees, though she did grit her teeth against the power of it. Azula's eyes widened as Wanda staggered towards Zuko, then stood in front of him. He knew better than to touch her with so much electricity coursing over her, but still refused to move from her side.

"That's not possible!" Azula spat. "No one can just _absorb_ lightning! Most can't even command it!" Wanda looked up at her, letting her scarlet eyes shine in the darkness. Even Azula was shocked enough to take a step back.

"No," Wanda hissed out, then stood straight, locking her eyes onto Azula's. "But I'm learning," she said with a wicked smile. She held her hands out in front of her, conjuring a ball of red light between them until it shot out a bolt of ruby lightning towards Azula who dodged it, but just barely.

"How _dare_ you…! Zuko! You can't let her treat your little sister like this!" Azula raged. Wanda just laughed.

"No, I get it. Little sister complex." She took a few steps towards Azula, pooling more chaos fire into her palms before crouching down to eye-level to speak to her. "The difference is, you are the monster of this family, not your brother. And you should thank your stars for that. You might be evil Azula, but I am not threatened by you; I've seen worse." Azula kicked out with her feet, catching Wanda in the gut and pushing her back the few feet that she needed to conjure up another bolt of lightning. She directed it at Wanda, who recovered just in time to catch it between her palms, letting it grow into yet another ball of chaos. Before she could let it go at Azula, however, a gust of icy wind knocked her to her knees and dispelled the lightning put past Azula to crash against the farthest wall which crumbled.

"Now that's more than enough," purred a silk voice that made Zuko's stomach clench. Anukrei seemed to materialize out of the darkness, stepping past Azula and towards both Zuko and Wanda. Suki and Sokka came up to flank them but it was difficult to do in such a small tunnel. "I see you've brought the Calvary Zuko. That's cute, and so thoughtful. But we won't be needing them." With a single wave of her hand she sent Wanda, Sokka and Suki up against the wall then froze them in place by letting out a low exhale. "That's better," she mused gently, smiling softly at Zuko. She came up close enough that their bodies were touching and looked up into his face. Delicate fingers traipsed along his jaw line, lips then down his neck to his chest. Zuko held perfectly still, not giving her one inch as he glowered down at her. "Now Zuko, you have a choice to make my little flame. You must choose wisely, because your life may hang in the balance." She flicked her icy blue gaze up to his and laid her palm across the back of his neck. "Now, you can choose to either come with your dear sister and I and make a new life for yourself, one in which no one would ever be able to question your power or honor. No one would ever second guess you or even think to cross you. You could have unlimited power, beyond even the reaches of this pitiful Fire Nation." Zuko went to speak, but with her free hand Anukrei covered his lips with one finger. "Or," she said as she tilted her head to one side, looking at Zuko in an entirely different way. "Or, you could choose to stay here with these mongrels and run the risk of dying in this unmarked tomb where no one would ever find you. Your name would be lost in the winds, and all that would be remembered of you is your failure. The choice seems simple to me, but I know you do have some…_sentiment_, or some such, for these animals you travel with." Her finger left his lips and went up to stroke his face gingerly. "Just don't take too long about it, love, we haven't time for it." Strong hands reached out and grabbed her by the shoulders, moving her backwards several feet before letting go.

"You're right, it is an easy choice. There's just one problem: I can't let you leave Anukrei. You're coming with us." A sickly grin swept across her usually beautiful face, twisting it just enough to reveal her true nature.

"That's where you're wrong, love." Faster than a snake, Anukrei brought out a silver handle, shaping a blade of ice to once again to form her own personalized weapon. She went to thrust it deep into Zuko's stomach, but was parried by one of his own swords. "Fast," Anukrei remarked. "But that won't be enough. Not this time." She swiveled on the heel of her foot, coming around to strike on his other side with more force than he though her capable of. She didn't even give a second's hesitation when he met her blade with his before cutting up and slicing at his neck which he narrowly dodged. One after another the attacks came as she was relentless, always keeping him on the offense until she had him up against the side of the cave. She swung down on him from above, and he caught her blade above them leaving him open for her to push him hard with her body, trapping him between the solid rock and her. "It's a true pity, you know. Such beauty, talent and grace, wasted in a thing like you. I shall mourn you I suppose."

"I don't think so," Zuko shot back before breathing fire out to her. She whisked it away with a gust of wind, only to turn and pull the air from his lungs. He gasped, trying to breathe but knew he couldn't as long as she held his lungs captive like this. Before he could panic or lose control of his bender, he shot one sizzling heat wave out, but not at Anukrei. It thawed his chilled companions, freeing Suki, Sokka and Wanda from their frozen bonds. She had to relinquish her hold on his breathe to fend off attacks from all three as the converged on her. Seconds after that, Azula joined the fight by tossing lightning bolts at Suki, who was able to dodge the first and second, but the third grazed her.

"There's not enough room to maneuver!" Suki told Wanda as Sokka went to see if she was ok.

"I can fix that," she said, then threw both her hands up towards the ceiling, directing hex bolts deep into the rock. Zuko leapt in front of her to draw Azula's fire, dissipating it with a cross of his arms and throwing his own back at her. Azula and Anukrei attempted to flank him on either side, but Sokka was able to get behind the ex-princess and distract her long enough for Wanda to finish her hex. The ceiling began to crumble, then it fell all around them with Wanda shielding most of the debris away from them. The rock continued to fall, forcing them all to move farther and farther up the now sloped walkway until they breached the surface. It was the middle of the night, with stars shining brightly above them. Stars that Wanda hadn't seen for a very long time. She turned to extract her wrath on Anukrei, but had to intercept another bolt of lightning from Azula. She grabbed it right out of the air and pulled it into her with her magic before shooting it right back at her. Sokka ran at Anukrei from behind while she was dealing with Zuko, but she must have sensed him. She used her winds to shove him to the ground, the dug her iced blade deep into him.

"Sokka!" cried Suki, who still held one hand to her ribs from the lightning graze. She ran to him, but was also dealt with by Anukrei, who pushed her against the nearest tree hard enough to send one of the branches straight through her back and out her shoulder. Before either of them could react, Anukrei squared off against Wanda while Azula met her brother head-on with all of her force.

This time, Azula didn't waste any time on banter. She didn't give Zuko any time to prepare for her attack. She threw one giant bolt of lightning at him, which he was barely able to redirect into the sky in time. She came at him hard, blasting a huge pillar of blue fire in general direction, which he cut right through with his own and matched as well, forcing Azula to change course. She used her fire to boot her up and over him, shoot pillars of fire down on him the entire way, some of which he dissipated, others he dodged. When she landed on the other side her used a swipe kick to force her back even more, then brought his hands up around then down straight in front of him, twirling two strands of flame together to for her to dodge or take it, and unable to dispel it. She swung at him for all she was worth, driving fire infused with lightning towards him in a pillar too big for him to dodge. Instead he spun in a tight circle, weaving a blazing cocoon to protect him until all of it had passed. "Is that all you've got?" he shouted at her.

Anukrei and Wanda circled each other, looking for weaknesses. Anukrei feigned an attack from the right, only to swirl in the air and catch Wanda on her left side, but was caught on a wall of hex magic. Wanda hexed her down to the ground and went to hit her with more, but she rolled out of the way and used the air to push her up to her feet faster than Wanda could attack. Lightning shot past the two of them, but they both chose to ignore it. The air bender pushed out with her hands, trying to force Wanda to the ground but to no avail. The Witch had braced herself and dug into the ground with her magic, keeping her firmly planted while she shot off yet another hex to be gusted away before it reached its mark. Anukrei tried her signature move of stealing Wanda's breath, but was countered by a continuous hex Wanda had used to cover her entire body as protection. "Nice trick," Wanda mused. "Wonder if it would work on you?" She used her magic to surround Anukrei and turn her own powers against her, drawing out her breath into Wanda's hand as she had experienced before on the receiving end. The pale woman gasped and collapsed to the ground. "Doesn't feel so good, does it?" Wanda asked smugly. Anukrei's hand shot out, sending Wanda to the ground and giving the air bender back her air.

"What is it you want, Wanda?" she asked as she stood, holding her air in place to keep Wanda pinned against the ground. "Power? A title?... A home?" The Scarlet Witch growled at Anukrei's implication.

"You're right in thinking you're the only person who can give me what I want," Wanda admitted as she grimaced against Anukrei's hold on her. "But I have to earn it."

"Oh?" asked Anukrei with a raised eyebrow. "And what is it you want?"

"To rid the world of _you_!" she hissed, using her hexes to force her up and into Anukrei, throwing a nasty punch and catching the woman directly in the jaw before following up with a round house kick to the chest, succeeding in flattening Anukrei out on the ground and leaving her gasping for breath in an entirely different way than before.

Azula had backed Zuko up to the rim of the ground that had fallen in, which was now a cliff with only rubble to catch him fifty feet below should he fall. She used spin kicks to direct waves of fire at him until he had nowhere to go, and no room to retreat any more. He attempted to regain the ground he had lost by keeping low and chopping flames at her, but she retaliated in the form of a wall of flame that burned a perfect half circle in the grass around him, arching from the beginning of the canyon on his right across his front and ending at the canyon on his opposite side.

"Nowhere to run Zu-Zu, and no one to hide behind," Azula taunted.

"What makes you think I'm hiding?" he asked. Azula stepped through her flames to be on the inside of her brother's cage, drawing close enough to him that he tried to maneuver out of it.

"You always thought you were better than me, didn't you? Well now everyone will know that age isn't everything. I will be the triumphant victor over everything you hold dear, and you will be nothing but a distant memory. Oh and you little witch? She'll be a trophy of mine." Zuko glowered at her, bringing flames to his fists. Azula laughed. "I saw the way you looked at her, how bravely you dove in front of her to protect her from me. I know your little secret Zu-Zu. You're in love with a witch. Well, I'll make sure she's worth her while, you can count on that. I'll make sure she's all used up until she begs for death. And then the real fun can start." Azula's eyes glistening with conquest that she now lorded over Zuko, who had been inching his way to the left to parallel himself with the edge of the cliff.

"You won't touch her," he hissed angrily.

"Oh, I will. And I won't be the only one. Everyone will share in your pet, though not half as loving as I'm sure you have. She won't have any sanity left, when I'm through."

"Is that what happened to you?" Zuko shot back, and Azula slapped him across the face. He took this chance to grab her by the wrist and put enough pressure on it that it would break if she didn't fall to her knees. "You will return to your cell, and rot there for the rest of your miserable life as far as I'm concerned."

"Death first!" she screamed and lunged up at him with fire blazing in her open palm. She racked her fingers across his collar bone, tearing open the flesh and searing it with her fire before he could stop her. She moved to gain the upper hand on him, but Zuko instead used the leverage he still held with her wrist to direct her movement away from him. Her sudden lurch left her off balance, sending her sliding over the edge of the cliff. Zuko still held her wrist tightly, which then became her only saving grace. She looked up at him with wild eyes, first scared then….something worse. Laughter bubbled up inside of her then spilled out of her mouth, all while tears streamed down her face. She looked at him one more time as she still held on to her before summoning fire to the hand that still was directed at his face and blasting him with all that she had left. He let go of her to shield himself and she dropped to splay across the jagged boulders below.

Wanda stood over Anukrei with her foot pressed against the woman's airway, crushing it enough to keep her still but not enough to kill her. When she finally let go, Anukrei curled to her side and coughed until she spat blood.

"Give me one good reason to keep you alive," Wanda demanded, holding a fist full of hex fire right above Anukrei's head, throwing a terrible light across her face and scarlet eyes. Anukrei looked up at her and wiped the blood from her mouth. Instead of answering, the air bender slashed her arm through the air and pulled together several sharp iced points, delivering them straight into Wanda before she could stop it. A few sliced right past her, a few more grazed her, but three went straight through her: One through the shoulder, another through her leg and the last through her hip. She let out a cry, which she instantly regretted. Zuko looked up from where he was by the cliff and saw what happened. She knew she would only have a second or two before he came running to her, and Anukrei would attack him too. She threw out a hand and blasted a hex at Anukrei, pushing her deeper into the ground and keeping here there for a few seconds before sending yet another one at her. She summoned and blasted Anukrei with hex after hex after hex until the woman could barely even move, and looked to be unconscious. Zuko had reached her by then and slid his arm around her waist.

"We have to get you to a healer," he started to say but Wanda shook her head and pointed to Suki and Sokka. They were definitely worse off than she was, she wasn't even sure if they were still alive. Then she gave him a good look and realized he needed a healer too. None of them were in good enough shape to go find one.

"You're hurt," remarked Wanda in a croak the revealed just how exhausted she was from all of her magic use. Zuko shrugged, then winced as the wound on his collarbone protested the movement.

"I'll live," he told her which made her smile.

"Good. 'Cause I don't know what I'd do without you." As soon as she said it, Wanda realized what she had said and wished she could take it back. Zuko only chuckled and gently brought her closer to him, cupping her face in his palm. He didn't spend any time on words, he'd only trip over them anyways exhausted as he was. Instead her brought her lips to his and kissed her in a way that made her dizzy. His lips were warm against her own, spreading warmth through her whole body and fueled the fire that already burned so brightly for him. When he finally let her go she swayed, making him smile.

"You should lay down," he told her, and helped her to the grass. As soon as she was down a gust of wind hit him, throwing him yards away from her. Anukrei had risen and was advancing on him with hatred twisting in her face. He tried to stand, but she mercilessly drilled air into his back, forcing him deeper into the ground than before.

"You will never see the light of day beyond this, Zuko. I gave you a chance of a life time. A chance to follow me, and become something more than you could ever be on your own. You have chosen your own destiny, and it will be my pleasure to deliver it." Zuko looked up at her, then grinned. "What is it that amuses you? Do you not comprehend that I am going to kill you in the most unpleasant way possible?" she demanded in a fury.

"You forgot one thing," he pointed out calmly.

"And what is that?" she demanded harshly.

"You pissed off the wrong witch." It took her only a moment to realize what he was talking about, but by then it was too late. Wanda stood behind her, gathering as much power as she could between her two open palms until it was a light too bright to look at. By the time Anukrei turned around, Wanda had built up more than enough and let it loose. Zuko chose to remain face-down on the ground and let Wanda's curse envelope Anukrei in a beam of blood red magic, glowing brighter and brighter until the fires of it burned white. At its peak, the fire imploded on itself, leaving a small crater where Anukrei had stood and nothing else. Zuko looked over it, then towards his Witch. Wanda swayed only once before dropping to the ground in a heap.


	15. Chapter 15

Zuko awoke to a soft hand brushing his face.

"Good morning, Highness," she teased. He grimaced and sat up, putting a hand to his head. "I thought you were going to sleep forever."

"What…" he looked around to see that he was back in the palace, in his room with Wanda sitting next to him on his bed. She was once again dressed in Fire Nation clothing, wrapped tightly in a red that suited her much better than her slavish brown garments from before had. "What happened?" He looked her over and realized she looked perfectly healthy, even though he remembered her being far more injured than he had been. So why did he feel as if Appa had trampled him?

"Katara found us. Aang was able to get help to all of us pretty quickly. If he hadn't, Sokka and Suki wouldn't have made it. Everyone is pretty much fine, though some are taking longer to recover than others." She glanced behind her shoulder for a moment, then back to him with a smile. "There's someone who'd like to see you, and I should be getting back to helping the others." She put a quick hand to his face with a fondness in her eyes before getting up and heading toward the door, shutting it behind her. Zuko looked beyond the door to see someone who in his heart of hearts he never thought he'd see again.

"Mother," he mustered out with a whisper. The elegant woman smiled warmly at him and walked to his bedside, taking a seat on the opposite side that Wanda had previously taken.

"Oh Zuko," she breathed and opened her arms. Without a second's hesitation he pushed himself into her embrace. They held each other tightly for a long time, silent tears streaming down both faces. Neither of them had the ability to muster words until they finally let go to get a look at one another.

"I thought…I thought I'd never see you again," Zuko admitted to her, still holding tightly to her robes.

"I feared the worst for you as well, my son. I was afraid of the fate that you should meet, if your father had stayed in power. I am so proud of you, in all that you have done since I've seen you last." Zuko looked down to hide his face from her. He had been terrified that she would be ashamed of him, or angry with the fate Azula had met and the way his father had been dealt with by his now-friend the Avatar. She put her fingers under his chin gently, bringing his face up once more to meet hers. "You have exceeded all of my dreams for you, Zuko. No mother could be more proud of her son than I am of you."

"I missed you so much," Zuko told her and once more threw his arms around her.

"And I, you. We have much to catch up on."

* * *

Within the month, and with the help of everyone, Zuko was able to restore everything that had been changed. Mai was brought out of Azula's cell in the Boiling Rock instantly and given a place to stay at the Palace. For the first week it was tense and more than slightly awkward for Mai, Zuko and Wanda but eventually Mai warmed up to Wanda and came to terms them. It helped exponentially that she had met a guard at the Boiling Rock that had made her stay quite pleasant, and he came to stay with her at the palace. There was much debate about whether or not to hold a funeral for Azula and Anukrei, but eventually it was decided that it would be the decent thing to do and everyone attended. Zuko was surprised that he did feel the loss of his sister, and much deeper than he would have imagined. Crazy with power-lust or not, she had been his little sister and he had been there to watch her final moments. These would resonate through his dreams for the next few years.

Zuko didn't have to make a public announcement for the people to pick up on his attachment to Wanda, as it became apparent in the name they used when they referred to her. Everywhere she went, people bobbed their heads and referred to her as 'Lady.' Finally she asked Zuko what was going on.

"What, you're not called that back in your old world?" he asked with a coy grin. She scowled playfully at him and gave him a slight shove.

"You know better than that. Seriously, what's that about?" Zuko grinned wider.

"You made quite the impression on everyone who saw you that day. You can bet that they went out and told everyone they knew, and so forth." Wanda scowled.

"So?" she asked impatiently and crossed her arms.

"So," Zuko continued patiently "You made it into their stories. And every story has to have a good title."

"Title?" Wanda asked, this time more curious than sour.

"Well of course, _Lady Dragoness._" Wanda's eyes went wide.

"'Lady Dragoness'?" she asked incredulously. Zuko smirked even wider at her and nodded. The term of 'Lady' was easy to follow; since she was so deeply involved with Zuko it was assumed she would be the next Fire Lady. However, Wanda also knew that the title of 'Dragon' wasn't given out to just anyone. In fact the only person she had ever heard of being gifted that was Uncle Iroh, and he was considered one of the Greats. Zuko put his hands on her hips and dragged her to him, putting one hand to her face to kiss her gently.

"I think it fits quite well, don't you?" he asked her slyly. Wanda wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back for a moment before replying.

"We'll see."


	16. Epilogue

Wanda lay asleep next to Zuko in their large canvas bed. It was barely in the hours past midnight, and yet she was tossing and turning. Something wasn't right, she could feel it even in her slumber. Her tossing awoke Zuko, who sat up to look at her. In the seven years that had passed, he still felt a fire ignite in him every time he saw her. She had let her hair grow out long, due to his request, and now it splayed across the pillow in a dark wave, some falling across her face as she frowned in her sleep.

"Wanda?" Zuko asked quietly. Perhaps the nightmares were coming back. She still had them, about Pietro or Magneto or even Anukrei, but she hadn't had one in over a year. He had hoped she had put all of that behind her, though he still had nightmares about Azula and his father so he understood. Still, it seemed different tonight. "Wanda?" he asked again, putting a hand to her shoulder. Her eyes flew open, and to his surprise they were glowing a bright green for the first few seconds before the light faded.

"Zuko?" she asked, looking around in a confused, almost scared way.

"What's happening?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

"I…I don't…" she started to say then looked down at her hands. They had taken on a greenish hue, getting brighter all the time. Whenever she had used her magic it had always been blue, or in some cases scarlet, but never green.

"Wanda…?" Zuko asked but she shook her head.

"It's not me!" she told her, fear filling her eyes. She tried to conjure her own magic to combat the now spreading green light, but since it started with her hands she couldn't channel it. "Zuko?!" she called out in a panicked voice. There was a green flash then a swirling vortex of emerald light ripped open behind Wanda, pulling her in.

"Wanda!" Zuko shouted, throwing his arms around her in an attempt to keep her there with him. She tried to hold onto him as well, but she was growing more transparent by the second. Within moments the vortex opened wide enough to swallow Wanda and, by extension Zuko, whole. As soon as they were both enveloped, the vortex shut and the room became silent once more.


End file.
